A common statistic which is often repeated among the ranks of Ripperologists around the world is the fact that there were more books written about Jack the Ripper than there were written about Abraham Lincoln. Whether or not that is actually true (I myself have not taken the time to count the number of tomes written on the great Civil War president), the fact remains that there is certainly a great deal of information available in print on the topic.
Below is a list of many noted works which are involved with the case of Jack the Ripper in some way. Since many of the entries might be specific to unique portions of the case, a brief explanation of the work is provided below each one. Those works which, in my own opinion, are most worthwhile reading are noted by *** at the end of the entry. It is by no means complete, and if any work is neglected, please feel free to write me and let me know.
Also, I encourage all of you to read these works yourselves and let me know what your thoughts or opinions were concerning them. All intelligent criticisms on any below-listed entry will be published on the web through the link designated below each entry having received a reader response.
Aberconway, Lady Christabel. "New Statesman" November 7, 1959. Lady Aberconway, daughter of Machnaghten, names three suspects in this letter whom she claims were named in her father's notes.
Adam, Hargrave Lee. Trial of George Chapman. 223p. Hodge: London. 1930. Part of the "Notable British Trials" series. This debunks the authority of Sir Henry Smith, Macnaghten, and Anderson -- claiming their testimony to be groundless. It promotes the George Chapman theory.
Adam, Hargrave Lee. "George Chapman." The Black Maria or The Criminals Omnibus. Hodge: London. 1935. More or less along the same lines of his previous work.
Alexander, Marc. Royal Murder. 221p. Muller: London. 1978. Colin Wilson provides a chapter on the Ripper theories involving the Duke of Clarence, Stephen, Gull, and Netley.
Ambler, Eric. The Ability to Kill and Other Pieces. 191p. Bodley Head: London. 1963. Sports a short, nine-page outline of the murders as well as the idea that the Ripper simply stopped his crimes after his horrendous acts at Miller's Court.
Anderson, Robert. Criminals and Crime: Some Facts and Suggestions. 182p. Nisbet: London. 1907. Significant because the former head of the C.I.D. insinuates that the Ripper was "safely caged in an asylum."
Anderson, Robert. The Lighter Side of My Official Life. 295p. Hodder: London. 1910. States, without evidence, that the Ripper was a "low class Polish Jew."
Anderson, Robert. "The Lighter Side of My Official Life: XI. At Scotland Yard." Blackwood's Magazine. Edinburgh. March 1910. Pages 357-358 are similar to the book of the same name, but add a footnote which tells of a witness who identified the Ripper as "caged in an asylum ... but when he learned that the suspect was a fellow Jew he declined to swear to him."
Anderson, Robert. The Police Encyclopedia. vol 1. 237p. Hargrave Lee Adam. Routledge: London. 1911. In the preface, Anderson makes the claim that "there was no doubt as to the identity of the criminal."
Archer, Fred. Ghost Detective: Crime and the Psychic World. 176p. W.H. Allen: London. 1970. Tells of the story of the clairvoyant Lees.
Atholl, Justin. "Who was Jack the Ripper?" Reynold's News. September 15, 1946. London. Posits that the killer was an epileptic medical student.
Barker, Richard H. The Fatal Caress and Other Accounts of English Murders from 1551 to 1891. 210p. Duell, Sloan, and Pearce: New York. 1947. Pages 164-209 carry "The Times" reports of 1888.
Barnard, Allan The Harlot Killer: The Story of Jack the Ripper in Fact and Fiction. 248p. Dodd Mead: New York. 1953. An anthology of the case.
Barnett, Henrietta Octavia Weston Canon Barnett: His Life, Works and Friends by his Wife. 2 vols. Murray: London. 1918. A chapter in the second volume deals with the conditions in Whitechapel and the reactions to the Ripper murders from firsthand experience.
Baverstock, Keith Footsteps Through London's Past; A 'Discovering' Guide. 56p. Shire Pubs: London. 1972. Pages 4-10 cover the Ripper walks.
Beattie, John The Yorkshire Ripper Story. 160p. Quartet: London. 1981. Only two pages at the end are devoted to the Whitechapel case, but the Yorkshire case of recent times is still an interesting parallel.
Beaumont, F.A. "The Fiend of East London: Jack the Ripper." pp. 243-53. The Fifty Most Amazing Crimes of the Last 100 Years. 768p. Odhams: London. 1936. Describes the Ripper as murdering six women and involves the Matters theory.
Bell, Donald "'Jack the Ripper' -- The Final Solution?" The Criminologist. vol 9. no 33. 1974. pp 40-61. Posits that Cream bought his way out of an American prison to commit the murders.
Bell, Quentin Virginia Woolf: A Biography: Volume One. Virginia Stephen 1882-1912. 230p. Hogarth Press: London. 1972. Pages 35 and 36 go into detail of the madness of her cousin James Kenneth Stephen.
Bermant, Chaim Point of Arrival: A Study of London's East End. 292p. Eyre Methuen: London. 1975. Chapter 9 goes into the detail of the Ripper being a Jew.
Besant, Walter. East London. Chatto & Windus: London. 1903.
Binney, Cecil. Crime and Abnormality. 176p. Oxford University Press: Oxford. 1949. Tells of an account of the Ripper being a religious maniac who conducted open-air services on Margate beach.
Bloch, Ivan. Sexual Life in England Past and Present. 664p. Aldor: London. 1938. The Ripper was an insane student.
Blundell, Nigel The World's Greatest Mysteries. 224p. Octopus: London. 1980. Contains a six-page summary of the main theories.
Boar, Roger and Blundell, Nigel. The World's Most Infamous Murders. 192p. Octopus: London. 1983. Pages 92-97 suggest the Druitt theory and offer some Illustrated Police News pictures.
Bocock, John Paul "New York World." 1888. Article ascribing the murders to Nicolas Vassili, a Russian member of the 'Shorn' sect
Booth, Charles. Life and Labour of the People in London: East, Central and South London. Macmillan & Co. Ltd.: London. 1904.
Booth, Charles. Conditions and Occupations of the People of the Tower Hamlets, 1886-1887. Stanford: London. 1887.
Borchard, Edwin Montefiore. Convicting the Innocent: Errors of Criminal Justice. 421p. Yale University Institute of Human Relations: Connecticut. 1932. Chapter on Ameer Ben Ali, Algerian Ripper suspect.
Brewer, John Francis. The Curse upon Mitre Square A.D. 1530-1888. 72p. Simpkin, Marshall: London. 1888. Supernatural theory of Brother Martin.
British Journal of Photography. London. October 19th, 1888. pp 659-660. Criticizes police for not photographing scenes of the crimes; also comments on facsimile posters relating to the case.
British Journal of Photography. London. November 16th, 1888. pp 723. Comments on use of photographs at the Kelly murder scene.
Brookes, John Alfred Rowland. Murder in Fact and Fiction. 284p. Hurst and Blackett: London. 1925. Lists Macnaghten's suspects and concludes it was the "work of a doctor or medical student."
Browne, Douglas G. The Rise of Scotland Yard: A History of the Metropolitan Police. 392p. Harrap: London. 1956. A decent run through of the facts of the case.
Buckle, George Earle. The Letters of Queen Victoria: Third Series. A Selection from Her Majesty's Correspondance and Journal between the Years 1886 and 1901. Volume One 1886-1890. 688p. Murray: London. 1930. Pages 447-449 details the Queen's personal concerns with the case.
Butler, Arthur.. "Was Jack the Ripper a Woman?" The Sun. London. August 29th to September 1st, 1972. Variation on the Jill the Ripper theory.
Butler, Ivan. Murderers' London. 238p. Hale: London. 1973. A tour of the streets of Whitechapel in the first chapter.
Camps, Francis E. "More About Jack the Ripper." London Hospital Gazette. April 1966. Reprinted in The Criminologist. London. February 1968. Also reprinted in Camps on Crime. 181p. David and Charles: Newton Abbot. 1973. Presents a plan and pencil sketches of a victim.
Camps, Francis E and Barber, Richard. The Investigation of Murder. 143p. Michael Joseph: London. 1966. Opening chapter devoted to the case -- suggest that even modern methods of crime detection would not have captured the killer.
Cargill, David and Holland, Julian. Scenes of Murder: A London Guide. 230p. Heinemann: London. 1964. Gives exact location descriptions of the murders.
Chambers' Guide to London the Secret City. 160p. Ocean Books: London. 1974. Has four pages on the case proposing the female abortionist theory.
Chester, Lewis, Leitch, David, and Simpson, Colin. The Cleveland Street Affair. 236p. Weidenfield and Nicolson: London. 1976. Rebukes the Duke of Clarence theory.
Chicago Sunday Times-Herald. April 28th, 1895. "Capture of Jack the Ripper." Earliest known reference to the Lees theory.
Clark-Kennedy, Archibald Edmund. The London: A Study of the Voluntary Hospital System, Volume 2. The Second Hundred Years 1840-1948. 310p. Pitman: London. 1963. Cobb, Geoffrey Belton. Critical Years at the Yard: The Career of Frederick Williamson of the Detective Department and the CID. 251p. Faber: London. 1956. Police reactions to the murders -- also highly critical of Anderson.
County of Middlesex Independent. January 2nd and 5th, 1889. Newspaper account of the death of Druitt.
Crow, Duncan. The Victorian Woman. George Allen & Unwin Ltd.: London. 1971.
Crowley, Aleister. The Confessions of Aleister Crowley: An Autobiography. Abridged edition by Jogn Symonds and Kenneth Grant. 1058p. Cape: London. 1969; Hill and Wang: New York. 1970. Two volumes published as The Spirit of Solitude. in 1929. Page 755 deals with the Ripper killing his victims for supernatural means.
Cullen, Tom A. Autumn of Terror: Jack the Ripper, His Crimes and Times. 254p. Bodley Head: London. 1965 (Illustrated). American edition published as When London Walked in Terror. Houghton: Boston. 1965. The 1966 British Paperback edition was reprinted as The Crimes and Times of Jack the Ripper in 1973. Worthy anthology of the case which lists Druitt as the main suspect.***
Daily Dispatch. Manchester. April 10th, 1905. p. 5 "Jack the Ripper: A Startling Confession in New York." The confession of CHarles Y. Hermann, whom police believe was hallucinating.
Daily Express. London. "How I Caught Jack the Ripper!" March 7th, 1931. p7.; "Clairvoyant Who Tracked Jack the Ripper." March 9th, 1931. p3.; "Jack the Ripper's End." March 10th, 1931. p3. Three articles concerning Robert James Lees tracking down of the killer.
Daily News. London. The 1888 editions carry a continuous commentary on the murders and inquests.
Daily Telegraph. London. The 1888 editions carry a continuous commentary on the murders and inquests. October 4th, 1888 carried a facsimile of one Ripper letter.
Davis, Derek. "'Jack the Ripper' -- The Handwriting Analysis." The Criminologist. vol9. no. 33. Summer 1974. pp. 62-69. Examines two Ripper letters and deduces that both were written by Dr. Cream.
Deacon, Richard. The Cambridge Apostles; A History of Cambridge University's Elite Intellectual Secret Society. 214p. Robert Royce: London. 1985. Discusses possibility of James Kenneth Stephen being the Ripper.
Deacon, Richard. A History of the British Secret Service. 440p. Muller: London. 1969. Pages 29-30 deal with the Le Queux story.
Deacon, Richard. A History of the Russian Secret Service. 568p. Muller: London. 1972. Another similar approach.
Dearden, Harold. "Who Was Jack the Ripper?" Great Unsolved Crimes. 351p. Hutchinson: London. 1935. Places blame on "some doctor or medical student."
Dew, Walter. I Caught Crippen. 242p. Blackie: London. 1938. One third of the book is Ripper-related -- interesting prospective, since he was part of the CID in Whitechapel at the time.
Dictionary of National Biography. Smith, Elder: London. 1898. Entries for J.K. Stephen and his son.
Douglas, Arthur. Will the Real Jack the Ripper... 72p. Countryside Pubs: Chorley, Lancs. 1979. Illustrated. ***
Douthwaite, Louis Charles. Mass Murder. 288p. Long: London. 1928. Rebukes Deeming theory because at the time he was in prison.
Du Rose, John. Murder Was My Business. W.H. Allen: London. 1971.
East, John M. 'Neath the Mask: The Story of the East Family. 356p. Allen and Unwin: London. 1967. Contains a reference to an encounter between a stall attendant and a suspect.
Eisler, Robert. Man into Wolf: An Antropological Interpretation of Sadism, Masochism, and Lycanthropy... 286p. Routledge: London. 1951. Reference in support of the Jill the Ripper theory.
Empire News. Manchester. October 28th, 1923. pp. 1-2. "New Story of Jack the Ripper." An assertion that the Ripper was Mr. Fogelma, a Norweigian sailor.
Evening News. London. March 5th, 1954. p6. The obituary of James Stockley (Chief Inspector) notes the many disguises he had as part of the Ripper operation.
Farson, Daniel. The Hamlyn Book of Horror. 157p. Hamlyn: London. 1977. Eight illustrated pages and text on the Ripper.
Farson, Daniel. Jack the Ripper. 144p. Joseph: London. 1972. Another worthwhile anthology on the case, concluding in the Druitt theory. ***
Farson, Daniel. "The Truth, the Whole Truth." Evening News. London. September 18-22nd, 1972. Five articles on the murders based on his book.
Feigenbaam, Benjamin. (Article) Arbeter Fraint. London. December 21st, 1888. Rebukes theory that the Ripper was a Russian Anarchist.
Fishman, William J. East End Jewish Radicals 1875-1914. 336p. Duckworth: London. 1979. Passing reference to the Ripper and the possibility that he was a Russian anarchist.
Fishman, William J. The Streets of East London. 139p. Duckworth: London. 1975. Four illustrated pages.
Forbes, Archibald. "The Motive of the Murders." Daily News. October 3rd, 1888. Page 6 calls the killer a monomaniac seeking "revenge against the class a member of which has wrought him his blighting hurt."
Ford, Ford Madox. Return to Yesterday. 438p. Gollancz: London. 1931. Claims that a personal nurse discovered the body of one of the victims and saw a man vanish into the fog.
Fox, Richard Kyle. The History of the Whitechapel Murders: A Full and Authentic Narrative of the above Murders with Sketches. 48p. Fox: New York. 1888. Attributes crimes to Nicolas Vassili.
Franklin, Charles. The World's Worst Murderers: Exciting and Authentic Accounts of the Great Classics of Murder. 320p. Odhams: London. 1965. Only contains bare sketches in pages 13-23 about the Ripper, but a great read for those interested in the field of homicide.
Friedland, Martin L. The Trials of Israel Lipski. 219p. Macmillan: London. 1984. Makes passing reference to the fact that anti-Semitic talk concerning the case might have been a ploy to halt Jewish immigration into London.
Gaute, Joseph H.H. and Odell, Robin. Murder 'Whatdunit': An Illustrated Account of the Methods of Murder. 247p. Harrap: London. 1982. Slight references to the case.
Gaute, Joseph H.H. and Odell, Robin. Murder Whereabouts. 286p. Harrap: London. 1986. Similarly bare in Ripper references.
Gaute, Joseph H.H. and Odell, Robin. The Murderer's Who's Who: Outstanding International Cases from the Literature of Murder in the Last 150 Years. 269p. Harrap: London. 1979. Two pages concerning the crimes and suspects.
George, Earl Lloyd. Lloyd George. 248p. Muller: London. 1960. His own personal discussion of the craze of East End Society at the time.
Ghastly Murder in the East End. 1888. Reproduced by Cullen (see above).
Godwin, George. Peter Kurten: A Study in Sadism. Acorn Press: London. 1938. Interesting parallels between the two cases.
Goodman, Jonathan. Bloody Versicles: The Rhymes of Crime. 224p. David and Charles: Newton Abbot, UK. 1971. Three pages deal with the Ripper rhymes.
Green, Jonathan. The Directory of Infamy: The Best of the Worst. 288p. Mills and Boon: London. 1980. A small, but worthwhile entry on the Ripper.
Gribble, Leonard Reginald. "The Man They Thought Was Jack the Ripper." True Detective. London. March 1977. pp. 4-12, 49. Discusses and dismisses possibility of George Chapman.
Gribble, Leonard Reginald. "Was Jack the Ripper a Black Magician?" True Detective. London. January 1973. pp. 16-25. An illustrated account exploring the possibilty.
Griffiths, Arthur George Frederick. Mysteries of Police and Crime. vol 1. 464p. Cassell: London. 1898. Lists three suspects -- Polish Jew, Russian doctor, and a doctor later found drowned.
Haines, Max. Crime Flashback: Book 2. 230p. Toronto Sun: Canada. 1981. Eight pages in support of Druitt.
Halsted, Dennis Gratwick. Doctor in the Nineties. 206p. Johnson: London. 1959. Suggests Jack the Ripper was a syphilitic sailor of the North Sea fishing fleet -- also details suspicions raised at the time toward the medical profession.
Hansard's Parliamentary Debates (Commons). A record of all things said in the Lower House of Parliament -- index available for the period.
Harris, Melvin. "The Murders and the Medium." The Unexplaine: Mysteries of Mind, Space and Time 65. 1981. pp 1290-1293. Illustrated article addresses the Lee theory.
Harrison, Fraser. The Dark Angel: Aspects of Victorian Sexuality. 288p. Sheldon Press: London. 1977. Two pages devoted to the Ripper.
Harrison, Michael. Clarence: The Life of the Duke of Clarence and Avondale, KG 1864-1892. 253p. W.H. Allen: London. 1972. Hashes over the Clarence theory.
Hayne, W.J. Jack the Ripper: or the Crimes of London. 1889. This was stolen from the Library of Congress and is hitherto untraced anywhere else -- any information on this would be greatly appreciated.
Henriques, Dr. Fernando. Modern Sexuality: Prostitution and Society. vol 3. Macgibbon & Kee Ltd: London. 1968.
Herd, Richard. "The Secret of Ex-Convict SYS 45." Evening News. London. September 8th, 1955. The author's tale of his wife as being Jill the Ripper.
Hibbert, Christopher. The Roots of Evil: A Social History of Crime and Punishment. 524p. Weidenfeld and Nicolson: London. 1963. Small reference of events and consequences.
Hill, William Boyle. A New Earth and a New Heaven. 312p. Watts: London. 1936. Pages 119-127 deal with the Lees legend.
Honeycombe, Gordon. The Murders of the Black Museum 1870-1970. 296p. Hutchinson: London. 1982. Pages 5-14 deal with the Ripper, whom the author believes is Druitt.
Howard, Philip. We Thundered Out: 200 Years of The Times 1785-1985. 176p. Times Books: London. 1985. Two pages of reports and pictures from the Illustrated Police News and from The Times of Novemeber 10th, 1888.
Hubler, Richard Gibson. "A Stunning Explanation of the Jack the Ripper Riddle." Coronet New York. November 1956. pp. 100-106.
Hyde, H. Montgomery. Carson: The Life of Sir Edward Carson, Lord Carson of Duncairn. 515p. Heinemann: London. 1953. Pages 182-183 link George Chapman with the Ripper.
Hynd, Alan. (Article) True Magazine. New York. 1956. Interesting discovery of a Spanish Ripper's identity via a trunk with a false bottom.
Hynd, Alan. "Murder Unlimited." Good Housekeeping. New York. February 1945. pp. 29, 197-200. Describes contacts between Matthew Parker and the Ripper.
Illustrated Police News Law Courts and Weekly Record. London. From August 18th, 1888 to early 1892, coverage of the Ripper case. Some illustrations reprinted in Great Newspapers Reprinted. February 1974. Peter Way Ltd: London.
Inglis, Norman. "Was Jack the Ripper Caught?" Tid Bits. London. May 12th, 1962.
"Jack the Ripper: The Story of the Whitechapel Murders." Famous Crimes Past and Present. London. 1903. vol 2 no 15, pp 25-30 -- no 16, pp. 49-58 -- no 17, pp. 73-81 -- no 18 pp. 97-102. Harold Furniss: London.
Jack the Ripper at Work Again: Another terrible murder and mutilation in Whitechapel. 4p. *No publisher given* November 9th, 1888. Broadsheet of the Kelly murder.
Jackson, Robert. Francis Camps: Famous Case Histories of the Celebrated Pathologist. 208p. Hart Davis: London. 1975. Chapter 9 suggests the veracity of the Farson theory.
Jannino, E.A. Jack the Ripper. Paper presented to discussion session at the Third International Meeting on Forensic Pathology, London 1963. Suggested "moon madness" overcame both the Boston and Whitechapel murderers.
Jones, Elwyn and Lloyd, John. The Ripper File. 204p. Futura Barker: London. 1975. The book of the television series -- one of the best collections of facts on the case. ***
Jones, Gareth Stedman. Outcast London. Clarendon Press: Oxford. 1971.
Keating, P.J. "Fact and Fiction in the East End." The Victorian City: Images and Realities: Vol 2. H.J. Dyos and Michael Wolff, Routledge: London. 1973. Society's reaction to the murders.
Keating, P.J. The Working Classes in Victorian Fiction. Routledge: London. 1971.
Keating, P.J. Working-Class Stories of the 1890s. Routledge: London. 1971.
Kelly, Alexander Garfield. Jack the Ripper: A Bibliography and Review of the Literature. 55p. Association of Assistant Librarians, S.E.D.: London. 1973; second edition 83p. 1984. Fine accumulation of literature and information.
Kingston, Charles. The Bench and the Dock. 290p. Stanley Paul: London. 1925. Pages 203-204 describe Monro's involvement in the Ripper case.
Knight, Stephen. Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution. 284p. Harrap: London. 1976. Illustrated. Excellent rundown of the theory concerning Sickert, Gull, and Netley. ***
Knight, Stephen. "Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution." Evening News. London. June 21st (pp. 15-17), 22nd (pp. 12-13), 23rd (pp. 10-11), 24th (pp. 12-13), 25th (pp. 16-17). 1976. Adapted from the book.
Knight, Stephen. The Brotherhood: The Secret World of the Freemasons. 336p. Granada: London. 1984. Four pages reiterate his earlier work.
Knight, Stephen. "Why Sickert Denied Ripper Tale." Sunday Times. London. July 2nd, 1978. Knights reply to David May -- see also May, David below.
Kraft-Ebing. Aberrations of Sexual Life. Dr. Alexander Hartwich, Staples Press: London. 1959.