Books by Paul Begg

Discover the truth behind the myth in The Complete Jack the Ripper by Paul Begg and John Bennett.Whitechapel, 1888: a spate of brutal murders becomes the most notorious criminal episode in London's history. The killer, chillingly nicknamed 'The Whitechapel Murderer', 'Leather Apron' and, most famously, 'Jack the Ripper', is never brought to justice for the slaughter and mutilation of at least five women in the slums of East London. But the mystery is deepened by a letter sent "e;From Hell"e; to Scotland Yard, accompanied by half of a preserved human kidney...In this comprehensive account of London's most infamous killer, the foremost authorities on the case explore the facts behind the most grisly episode of the Victorian era. Setting the scene in the impoverished East End, the authors' meticulous research offers detailed accounts of the lives of the victims and an examination of the police investigation. The Complete Jack the Ripper is the definitive book by Paul Begg and John Bennett, exploring both the myth and reality behind the allusive killer.Paul Begg and John Bennett are researchers and authors, widely recognized as authorities on Jack the Ripper. Paul Begg's books include Jack the Ripper: The Facts, Jack the Ripper: The Definitive History, and he is a co-author of The Jack the Ripper A to Z.John Bennett has written numerous articles and lectured frequently on Jack the Ripper and the East End of London. He has acted as adviser to and participated in documentaries made by television channels worldwide and was the co-writer for the successful Channel 5 programme Jack the Ripper: The Definitive Story. He is author of E1: A Journey Through Whitechapel and Spitalfields and co-author of Jack the Ripper: CSI Whitechapel.

"Ripper Notes: Madmen, Myths and Magic" is a collection of essays about the notorious Whitechapel serial killer Jack the Ripper and other topics that shed new light on the case. Jan Bondeson discusses "Serial Sadistic Stabbers" throughout history, including the interesting case of the London Monster, a man who stabbed women in London in the 18th century and who is in some ways a precursor to Jack the Ripper. Amanda Howard gives a short overview of serial killers who predate the Whitechapel murders of 1888. Wolf Vanderlinden follows with "The Supernatural Connection," a detailed study of the various psychics past and present who claimed to have otherworldly knowledge of the Ripper killings. Famed expert Paul Begg in "On The Matter of Milk" examines witness Mrs. Malcolm's testimony that she saw victim Mary Jane Kelly on the morning of her murder (after the time the doctors later told the police that Kelly must have already been killed) as she went to buy milk. Bernard Brown investigates the site of the murder of Jack the Ripper's first canonical victim, Mary Ann "Polly" Nichols, and uncovers a history of persecution of women in "The Witches of Whitechapel." Tom Wescott then explores a possible link between the Ripper murders, magic rituals desecrating Christian symbols, and the Lindbergh baby kidnapping tragedy. Dan Norder's "Connecting the Dots" explores the various theories that the Ripper crime scenes were chosen in advance in order to form a symbol, describing the various patterns that have been suggested and looking into the statistics to try to determine if they were a result of forethought or blind chance. Antonio Sironi then asks if the murder of the Elizabeth Stride, usually named by experts as the third victim, in Dutfield's Yard was a change in the Ripper's normal methodology. The essays are concluded with Roger Peterson's "Did Jack the Ripper Visit Leadville?" which chronicles an example of Ripper hysteria that reached all the way to a booming Colorado mining community in the United States not long after the Whitechapel murders. All of the articles are extensively illustrated with woodcuts, photos, diagrams and other illustrations. In addition, the back cover features a color map of the East End of London in the 19th century with the locations of the five generally accepted Jack the Ripper killings marked for easy reference. Ripper Notes is a nonfiction anthology series covering all aspects of the Jack the Ripper murder case.

Talks about Mary Celeste.

When Jack the Ripper walked onto the streets of the East End he came to represent everything that was wrong with the area and with society as a whole. This book sets his murders in their historical context, examining in depth what East London was like in 1888, how it came to be that way, and how events led to this most infamous and grisly episode.