Review of 'Naming Jack the Ripper', Russell Edwards, London: Sidgewick and Jackson, 2014. ISBN: 978-0-283-07208-6 hardcover; 312pp; illus; appendices; index hardback £16.99 ebook (Kindle) £6.59

Abstract

This review is based on the ebook version and so I won't be able to give precise page numbers. However where appropriate, I shall give the chapter in which specific points I allude to will be found. Given the frenzied discussion of this book in the media and in various Ripper forums, it's difficult to avoid bringing preconceptions to bear when reading it. Nevertheless it is necessary to try. Since this book is a popular study of the Ripper mystery, it may not be fair to bring academic standards of criticism to bear, but even popular studies ought, these days, to show their sources. There is not a single reference throughout the entire book. It's true in some cases, that the overall source is clear but it is often not easy to pinpoint the exact location within the source. Frequently, even this imprecise source identification is not possible. Much of the book is anecdotal and biographical, with sometimes intimate details of personal hardships, sadnesses, and even tragedies. It fits well into what the author describes as his 'journey' or his 'quest'. It actually reads in a fairly breezy way and so, while not great literature, it's quite a tolerable read. Like many Ripper books, it contains an overview of the East End and the several victims. There is nothing new to be found here and, despite the above comments, it is irritating to read for anyone who knows even a little of the case. The meat of the book can probably be compressed into about a third of its overall length, and it is that which I'll concentrate on from hereon.