MURDER & MADNESS The Secret Life of Jack the Ripper Based on Heretofore Unrevealed Information from Scotland Yard

Abrahamsen (Dr. David)

ISBN 10: 0860519090 / ISBN 13: 9780860519096

Published by Robson Books, 1994

About this Item

Softcover. The author sheds intriguing new light on these classic questions : Who was Jack the Ripper and what were the forces that drove him? Approaching the case from a psychiatric perspective, Dr. Abrahamsen examined and analysed all the evidence available to Scotland Yard, including never-before-released files. He uncovered startling evidence that suggested JtR was two people, one of whom was a member of the British Royal Family. Part One - The Evil World of Whitechapel; Part Two - What the Inquests Revealed; Part Three - Illness and Misery Start at Home. Illus., Appendix, Bibliog. and Index. 224pp. trade size soft cover. From the library of Paul Daniel, ex-editor of the 'Ripperologist' magazine (December 1996 No. 8 - February 2000 No. 27) with his name rubber stamp and green felt-tip date to inside of back cover. Includes Paul's personal, printed, detailed book notes/review tipped-in to all feps (5pp.). This was his 4th Jack the Ripper book and pre-editorship of 'Ripperologist' magazine. With pencil marginalia throughout. Vg. with minimal creasing to covers.

Seller Inventory # 19765

Bibliographic Details

• Title: MURDER & MADNESS The Secret Life of Jack the Ripper Based on Heretofore Unrevealed Information from Scotland Yard
• Publisher: Robson Books
• Publication Date: 1994
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0860519090
• ISBN 13: 9780860519096
• Binding: Softcover / Paperback
• Edition: First edition.
• Condition: Very Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • Jack the Ripper and Assoc.

About this title

From Library Journal

Who was Jack the Ripper? If the answer is not yet known, it is not for lack of study. The murders in Victorian London have been exhaustively examined, but it is close to impossible to reconstruct a century-old crime. Abrahamsen, author of Confessions of Son of Sam ( LJ 3/15/85) and an expert witness in the investigations of the Leopold and Loeb case and Lee Harvey Oswald, is as qualified as anyone to speculate. As the book evolves, however, his theory does seem to be entirely speculation. The author definitely puts a new twist on an old suspect, and the book makes for interesting reading. Unfortunately, he uses facts that support his purpose and discards those that don't. He accepts the testimony of a controversial witness but discounts a crucial part of her statements that conflict with his theory. He also makes some grand leaps in logic, such as labeling a man a pedophile because he was described as "a hero among the smaller boys." In the end, the book fails to convince, but the theory remains intriguing. Recommended for large crime collections and collections focusing on serial killers.
- Lois Walker, formerly with Winthrop Coll. Lib., Rock Hill, S.C.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.