Jack London Books

Great book but be aware - EasyRead Edition is not complete, it has only six stories out of twelve. Go for ISBN-10 142641983X for the full version.

some interesting stories here. L can be sly, descriptive, philosophical, straightforward, psychological..... he shows his talents in this book. most of all, L can be interesting. it is easy to read and understand his stories, so it is never a great disappointment when he delivers a story that's not so great. there is little greatness here, though

As good as almost everything Jack London wrote and much better. For any ages. Buy the book for your kids!

I thought this book was encouraging, adventurous, and well done. I felt sad, betrayed, upset, and happy throughout the whole book. It was a great read.

This book was given to me as a child. I always thought it was one of the funniest books I'd ever had. I especially loved the chapter: A Corner on Eggs. Somewhere in growing up I lost the book. I wanted to share it with my children, then my grandchildren, but I never could find it again - even in editions perporting to be complete compilations of Jack London's work. To my amazement, here it is suddenly one click away at Amazon. I'm beyond thrilled. The book has everything: Comedy, adventure in Yukon Territory, excitment of the gold rush days, and great characters. Rediscover, or discover a little known London work that is worth the wait.

If I could give this books more than 5 stars I would. Other than the Call of the Wild not being as good as White Fang, it was still fantastic, and ever more great when they're together!!!!

The Call Of The Wild is about Buck, a dog that is stolen from his master and is shipped to the Artic North. Buck had a life that stranded him in another environment, and he develops skills to survive in the Artic. Spitz is the dog that hates Buck because he thinks Buck will take over as the new leader of the team. Judge Miller is Buck's first owner, and he just wants his dog back. John Thornton is Buck's new owner who buys Buck and traines him to be a sled dog. Buck and Spitz run into problems with each other and ended up fighting. Judge Miller has problems because he can't find his dog. John Thornton has money problems so he uses Buck to win money for him. Buck has adventures moving to the Artic and learning to be a sled dog. My favorite character is Spitz because he is a ferocious, fearless thief who wants to be respected by every dog. But the only dog that stands up to him is Buck and Spitz doesn't approve of that.
Buck is a character that I can relate to. He has to adapt to a new environment in a new place. I will have to adapt to Boot Camp when I join the Marine Corps. It isn't going to be easy, but it will be a good experience.
I liked the book. My favorite part is when Buck and Spitz finally fight. This battle determines the strength of Buck turning into a leader and defending himself. My least favorite part is the fate of Hal, Charles and Mercedes. Their experience demonstrates how hard it was to sled from one place to another in the cold Alaskan weather.
I recommend this book to any reader. People that enjoy reading adventure stories will especially enjoy this book. The Call Of The Wild was interesting and full of adventure.

Call of the Wild by Jack London is an amazing book. Jack London does an incredible job at telling the story through the eyes of a dog. The dog in the sorty, Buck, is faced with some unbearable problems. He was taken from his home in San Diego, Cali. to the freezing arcitc. Through out his adventure Buck has to learn to live and adapt to his new environments. Also he learn the law of the club and fang, the man with the club has the power, and the dog whoes the strongest and the most fierce also has the power. Over all Call of the Wild is a great book that any age will enjoy. The book is not very long and the reading is fairly easy. Call of the Wild is a must have for any one who loves to read.

-Call of the Wild- This classic tale of a dog's life is one to be remembered forever. The main character Buck, a dog, must learn to live as a sled dog to survive. -White Fang- This book, also about a sled dog, is a classic story written by Jack London.

White Fang and Call of the Wild are both excellent. I recommend reading them together, as they illustrate two opposite facets of a dillemma: the choice between the freedom of the wilderness and the comforts of a regulated existence. Call of the Wild is about a dog who leaves his owner to join a pack of wolves. White Fang is about a wolf who is tamed.

What I like best about these works is that London, unlike many authors writing about animals (especially in children's books), doesn't endow his animal characters with human thoughts and emotions. Rather, he tries to convey a truly animal psychology -- less complex than a human one, perhaps, but no less intense.

Interest Level: 5-8th grade. The story has some exciting parts and the setting, being in the Arctic during a gold rush, is also interesting. However, the book was written in the early 1900s and the language, giving it a formal feel and is full of words seldom used today. But, that being said, I was still surprised to see how interested many of my 7th grade students actually were while reading this story and getting to know its characters.

Synopsis: The Call of the Wild is about a dog named Buck who is kidnapped from a beautiful home in California where he lives with his kind owner, Judge Miller. His kidnappers transport him North, to the Klondike area on the border of Northern Canada and Alaska, where he sold as a sled dog. Though the abrupt end to his relatively privileged former life in California, and the sudden start of a harsh new life in the Arctic as a sled dog, is initially shocking, Buck learns quickly what it takes to survive. Specifically, he learns the law of club and fang: when there's no civilization or laws to protect you, you have to do whatever it takes--steal, fight, even kill--in order to survive. Buck does learn to do this and, in the process, becomes a very powerful sled dog and eventually team leader. All of the while, he feels called by some mysterious force in the wilderness, experiencing some primal connection to the wild wolves and raw elements of the environment. Though he has some incompetent owners for a while, he eventually comes under the authority of a gold-seeker named John Thorton. Thorton, who saved Buck from his cruel former owners, instantly becomes the object of Buck's affection and even worship. Buck is willing to do anything for him, and even saves his life on multiple occasions. Because of this, he wins a high-stakes bet for Thorton on another. However, at the end of the novel, when Thorton and his companions are camping in the woods near a site where they've found gold, they are confronted by a band of Native Americans. It is up to Buck to save Thorton, even if it means risking his own life against the entire band of native warriors. Lucky for Thorton, Buck is a loyal companion and is willing to take a risk. Will he be able to save Thorton and continue his life as man's best friend, or will he be left to once again, take the call of the wild?

Title: The Call of the Wild

Author: Jack London

Publisher: Pocket Books

Date: 1903

Pages: 105

Genre: Adventure/Classic Literature

Reading Level: 12

I liked this book because of its detales in fights like when buck fought the man in the high walled back yard. in this fight jack london describes bucks anger and the pain with words like red-eyed devil,a fierce blow and blood flowing from his nose and mouth.

This 1903 novel was written from the imagined mind of a large dog. Buck lived in sunny Santa Clara when he was stolen and sold to a dealer for transport to cold, snowy Alaska as a working sled dog. You can imagine this as a symbol for an ordinary man who is forced into a life of hard work, poor pay, and perilous working conditions. There is no retirement plan for a dog like Dave. It is informed by the social Darwinism that was in vogue among capitalists and socialists, but with different interpretations. Like many other novels for adults it evolved into a story for children! [Those who study the life of wolves can comment on the fantasy of a dog leading a wolf pack.]

Buck and the other tired dogs are sold to new owners. These owners do not have the experience of judgment to travel (Chapter V). Buck is rescued by a new owner. London created an idealized picture of Buck (Chapter VIII). But John Thornton and his gold-seeking partners find their good luck has turned terribly bad. Buck survives as the fittest of the pack. The story doesn't tell what happened to Buck in the near future. Wild animals live day to day, a life that is nasty, brutish, and short.

I am generally not a huge fan of fiction, but I recently watched the movie "Into the Wild" and saw that the character featured in the movie read this book and was influenced by it to live a life in the Wild. I figured I may as well read it, so I did, and I really enjoyed it. I am not at all a literature buff, so I am not certain of what things were symbolic and what everything meant, but it was a great read and I couldn't put it down.

Gold was found in Alaska, the rush to obtain it required a strong constitution and many dogs to do the work that horses usually did in the states. The environment bread harsh attitudes. Also in the testing of ones mettle one finds their true potential.

Buck (a dog that is half St Bernard and half Shepherd) goes through many lives, trials, and tribulations finally realizing his potential. On the way he learns many concepts from surprise, to deceit, and cunning; he also learns loyalty, devotion, and love. As he is growing he feels the call of the wild.

This book is well written. There is not a wasted word or thought and the story while building on its self has purpose and direction. The descriptions may be a tad graphic for the squeamish and a tad sentimental for the romantic. You see the world through Buck's eyes and understand it through his perspective until you also feel the call of the wild.

The Call of the Wild - Dog of the Yukon (1997)

These three stories are amongst London's best fictional works- some say they *are* the best, especially, "The Call of the Wild" and "White Fang", it all depends on one's taste, of course, but rest assured, these stories are gripping and the intrigue of their moving plots keeps one glued to the book.

As a freind once said of "Call..." and "...Fang": "These are just about the two doggone best [canine] stories I have ever had the pleasure to read!". Indeed.

All three stories are set in Alaska during the gold rush days of the late 1800's and London spent time there to absorb the feeling of this beautiful, but unforgiving land. He is so descriptive of the landscape, one feels like they are there themselves. This is the magic of London's writing- he so expertly drops the reader right into the scenery and the characters. Indeed, we see and feel what they see and feel- even the animals- especially, the animals, for they have personalities that engage and create both sympathy and admiration for their trials, tribulations and triumphs. London is one of those that the measure of literary genius is judged by and taking in just about any of his works will demonstrate why.

The basic storyline of the "The Call of the Wild" has a dog named "Buck" who is living in a comfortable setting in California, suddenly yanked away by black-market dog thieves who are selling them to the ravenous needs of the gold prospector's supply market where they are then pressed into the tortuous dogsled industry. Buck eventually gets free and joins his native soul-brothers, the wolves. From the human world back to his ancestral roots, hence, the calling of the wild instinct.

"White Fang" is the antithesis of Buck`s situation: a wolf pup raised partly by Indians, wolves, and eventually being absorbed all the way into the human world... you guessed it, in California where he settles into the same basic comfortable world that Buck was torn from. The tale of how that turn-of-events happens is as engaging as Buck's story.

"To Build A Fire" is a very short read and describes a man and the unforgiving, harsh winter of the Alaskan outback. He finds himself trapped by an intense snow storm and soon realizes that this normally easy trek is turning dangerous. What will happen? London skillfully gives us the psychological drama of harsh realities setting in.

For those that have not yet taken in any of London's work, this book is a good place to start. One might then want to take in more, including London's non-fictional work.

I thougth that it was a good book. There is some good action in it but at the same time its a very sad book. Although the character is a dog you can relate to him how he is a outcast and no one likes him to learning the way of the wild and becoming a good sled dog. He is a fast learner to the law of club and fang and is a strong leader. This was a good book with a great ending and i would suggest reading it.

The book White Fang was about a wolf-dog that lived with his
owner.Then one day his master got drunk by drinking and his master
sold him to a mean man.

I remember reading "To Build a Fire" in school in eighth grade. It is a fairly short story about a man travelling in extremely cold conditions who falls in a creek and, in order to stay alive, has to build a fire. It by itself is a great story, but along with "White Fang" and "The Call of the Wild," this is just an excellent book for anyone who likes life and death struggles and, well, dogs and wolves.

It was okay, but i found it a bit boring at times. I would recomen it to those who like his books, but those who don't, i don't see why you would care!

Jack London, the author of many stories such as "Call of the Wild" and "White Fang," was a very interesting man. This book tells the story of his life, from his rough childhood up to his death as a rich and famous man. I didn't always like Jack London as he was portrayed in this book--he spent some of his life as a drifter, stealing rides on trains and begging for money on the streets. He was also not a very good father to his two daughters. I have to admit, though, that his life was terribly interesting. He traveled a great deal, all around the world both when he was young and as he grew older. It was fascinating to see where he got the ideas for his stories--most of them were based on experiences he actually had. Jack London was admirable in that he always knew he wanted to be a writer, and he dind't let anything stand in his way. He achieved his goal through hard work and dedication, despite all obstacles he had to overcome.

I liked that this book was a wealth of information, containing a lot of details about London's thoughts and feelings at certain times in his life, gathered from journals, letters and from people who knew him. I felt like the book gave a well-rounded description of his life.

This book was a great book and I would suggest that anyone out there who likes Jack London books read this biography of him! Jack is a great person to write this on, he is a courageous hard worker and a family man, but his own family keeps moving while Jack is out on business trips. The author did a fantastic job on making details so you could actually picture exactly what it was he was tlaking about! This book is also very unique, but probably because it was the first biography I have ever read, but it was a great one. The author used a lot of strange words that I did not understand, but that is why he put a glossary in the back of the book. That was very useful. The author used several metaphors and similes, and acted a little sarcastic at times. I really, really enjoyed how this book was published and how the author decided to write it! I think everybody should read this biography, especially if you are a fan of Jack London's work!

I found this book at a book fair just two days before my paper on Jack London was due. This book saved me. It is very informative, well written and easy to understand. My paper turned out and was even handed in on time. Yeah!

Less engaging than "Jerry of the Islands" but a good read. A must for Irish Terrier owners.

Caution, this is London's expose of the brutal training methods used by the trainers for the animal acts of the time. Half the book is descriptions of the typical abuses, some suffered by Michael, some by the animals around him.

This was London's last book and he was sick, tired and depressed during this time of his life. It's not among his best but it is powerful stuff, as is all of London's writing.

I happened across this book while looking for stories about Irish Terriers. I wouldn't normally read Jack London; his stories always seemed more to my brother's liking. However, this book quickly grabbed me because a lot of it is written from the dog's perspective. And those passages are spot on. Michael reminded me so much of my own Irish Terrier and how he thinks and reasons. It really got to my heart. When I finished reading, I made a donation to the ASPCA. And although I don't know much about Jack London, I'd bet he had an Irish Terrier himself, for sure.

JL was great at writing from the animal's point of view. you get the feeling he knew what he was talking about. there is no way you can read this book without feeling that the dog is a person, but also that this is a very realistic way of describing the dog's life. a dog gets kidnapped by a man, who turns out to be a rather nice fellow. adventure in this story, great dog psychology which always amazes me. i won't give away the dog's adventures but they are interesting, there is a lot of lovely details and particularly detailed descriptions of how the dog thinks, and the story is touching on a very human level.

I first met these two dogs back in the 50's,as a child in what is now Czech Republic, in a Czech translation from the 20's. I read them innumerable times and remembered every word. But I had to wait for almost 40 years before I found the original, English, version. The dogs' intelligent and brave personalities shine through as before, despite what now would be considered "politically incorrect", anachronistic attitudes.
Thank you, Fredonia !

If you have enjoyed Ed Brubaker's take on Captain America, you'll enjoy what writer Christos Gage does here with Union Jack, a British working-class spin on the Captain America character concept. Underneath brilliant colors and some wonderfully slick-yet-realistic artwork is one of the most underrated superhero adventures of the last couple years. There is nothing earth-shaking or universe-altering about London Falling, and therein lies its brilliant simplicity: a handful of fairly obscure Marvel heroes whose very identities are thematically tied to their nations of origin must stop a terrorist scheme involving a series of bombs and a small army of Marvel's mercenary supervillains. Without being overwrought or depressing, Union Jack: London Falling combines two-fisted heroics with a dash of realism, illustrating just how costumed adventurers might fit into a post-9/11 world if such heroes truly existed.

This is a book about some lesser known characters in the Marvel U. As the name suggests, its about Union Jack...the hero for the common folk of England, who has no super powers to speak of...just a WWI era pistol and knife (plus plenty of know how and acrobatic skills). The supporting cast scrapes the bottom of the barrel when it comes to "big name status", but together they stop a heinous plot from succeeding in jolly old England. Great story, characterization, and art make this worth the money and time you'll spend on it.

If asked to mention Britain's preeminent superhero in the Marvel universe - if you're at all able to come up with someone - odds are, it's Captain Britain's name that'll be gracing your lips. Union Jack, he's very much a lesser known commodity, relegated to the lower ranks of costumed crimefighting. Jack doesn't have much going for him, power-wise. A reinforced suit, a gun, a knife, and silver bullets (which kills werewolves, not vampires, thank you very much). Mostly, it's sheer athleticism and a huge set of balls which carry him thru. But, after UNION JACK: LONDON FALLING, you might think more favorably of him. Fresh off his guest star stint from the pages of CAPTAIN AMERICA, Union Jack finishes off the last of London's vampires and becomes immediately embroiled in a desperate struggle to save London from super-powered terrorists. Marvel's 2006 4-issue limited series, loaded with non-stop action and working class heroics, makes for fast and fun reading.

When MI5 hears that a terrorist cell has employed mercenary supervillains and is about to launch multiple strikes in the heart of London, Union Jack explodes into action. Thru the course of one long, exhausting day Britain's flag-wearing superhero fends off assault after assault. But Union Jack is not alone. With the Crown's few superheroes already assigned to other missions and with the Fantastic Four and the Avengers unavailable ("They're off on one of their secret infinity wars or whatever it is they do."), England's allies have sent backup in the contentious forms of Israel's Sabra, Saudi Arabia's the new Arabian Knight, and the Yanks' S.H.I.E.L.D. liaison the Contessa Allegra Valentina de la Fontaine (or Val). With deep seated hostilities threatening to sabotage this make-shift task force, Union Jack now not only has to stave off acts of terrorism, he also has to play peacekeeper. Blimey.

This'll come out of left field, but Union Jack reminds me of 24's Jack Bauer, and it's not only because all the action takes place in one nerve-wracking day. Union Jack, like Bauer, is intense, no-nonsense, and very willing to inflict harm on the enemies of the state. As he tires and accumulates various hurts and aches and becomes progressively more shellshocked, his resolve yet remains undettered.

Union Jack's alter ego is Joe Chapman, and, as the third man to assume the mantle of Union Jack, he strays quite a ways from the aristocratic lineage borne by the previous wearers of the costume. In civilian life, Joe is very much of common stock, a lowly painter of houses who dwells in a cockroach-infested flat. Joe's driving force, his sense of purpose, is directly linked to his concern for the working classes. And even though one instance of his championing of this cause results in even more fatal casualties, London still comes to rally around him. Because Jack may falter but he doesn't ever ever give up. He presses on, he and his temporary teammates. And, when he brings down a dreadnought with the Union Jack flag itself, well, it's a thing of beauty.

Not to forget about Union Jack's cohorts as Sabra, the Countess, and the Arabian Knight do make hefty contributions. Even MI5's slimy Deputy Director comes thru with valuable intel. It's just that Jack is so overwhelmingly the heart and soul of this group that he tends to overshadow everyone else. In these four issues, writer Christos Gage makes Union Jack an exciting and relevant character and, with regards to Captain Britain's claim of highest profiled superhero, Jack now gives that bloke a run for his money. The writer never lets up, sticking to his highly charged, accelerated pace. Heavy exposition falls on the wayside, and isn't much missed. On the minus, Gage does indulge in some heavy-handed commentary involving international politics and relations (Sabra and Navid, the Arabian Knight, obviously don't get on famously), and that soon wears thin.

The artwork by Mike Perkins is very good. The action is boldly depicted, with Perkins lending a helter skelter feel to the pages. But he also does well with the momentary lulls. The background is filled with interesting details and justice is done to the famous British landmarks (my favorite is the splash page of London Tower Bridge in issue #2). And Union Jack, at the center of attention and despite not being overly muscular, comes off looking very heroic.

Captain Britain? Who's that, mate?

MOst of the book (lets say the first 225 pages) is essentially one character preaching a bunch of marxist theory. Ive neglected reading that socialist stuff, so it was kinda interesting... but mostly tedius.

the last 25 pages are action packed and awesome. looks like a major influence on that children of men movie. so the book doesnt disappoint.

Jack London's story paints the dark days of pure capitalism where `children, six and seven years of age, working every night at twelve hours shift', where the people of the abyss live like beasts in great squalid labor-ghettos and where `my father lied, stole and did all sorts of dishonorable things to put bread in my mouth.'
In pure Marxist style, a tiny Plutocracy (seven powerful groups) has taken hold of all powers in the US. It has at its beck and call the police, the army, the courts, the schools and private militias. The press became `suppressage'. Its policy is to print nothing that is a vital menace to the established and to mould public opinion.
The Church is also their mouthpiece: `the command to the Church was `Feed my lambs', but out of the dividends magnificent churches are built where your kind preaches pleasant platitudes to the sleek, full-bellied recipients of those dividends.' When one of its ministers speaks out for the poor, he is put in an asylum for being `insane'.
In order to keep control of the proletarians, the Plutocrats force a split in the unions between the strong unions in the monopoly corporations and the rest of weakly organized labor.
Another means of control is terrorism and `agents provocateurs' whose bloody attacks are foisted on the shoulders of their enemies.

The only opposition to the rule of the oligarchs consists of the `Brotherhood of Man', a socialist semi-clandestine organization.
A Marxian capitalistic endgame explodes with a bloody war between the few and the many ...

This forceful revolutionary book is brushed in an idealistic tone, with rather naïve black and white (the good and the bad) colors.
Unfortunately, it is partly still very topical. The struggle between right and left in the US became the global struggle between North and South. Terrorism, control of the media, the influence of education and religion, control of the courts are still red hot topics today.

This book is a real find. Not to be missed.

Okay, this book is pro-communist. You have to look beyond that if you are a Roman-style Fascist like myself. What I liked, most especially, is Ernest Everhard's description of the Plutocrats/Oligarchs when they invited him to their social lecture evening. Its absolutely priceless and right on the mark. The same goes with his descriptions of human nature and such. The novel is quite ingenious.

This novel described, in many ways, what we're facing today. Those who are against this illusion we call "democracy" are destroyed and every dirty trick employed. There are plutocrats that are totally circumventing the US Constitution and an rich elite that act and are above the law in most respects. Take London's novel and apply it today and it is eerily similiar. London also had gotten it right in another respect - with soul sucking, Mammon loving, reptiles we see today as the elites you're not going to change squat through the voting "system".

Finally, this is a novel, but its more than that. It is a window to the future. Not exactly how London envisioned it but close enough. Think on that next time you cast your vote for tweedle dee or tweedle dum. Or when they send your boys over to a foreign land to secure the plutocrats' wealth. Or when your property taxes keep on rising as with your personal income taxes.

Does the world really need yet another book on Jack the Ripper? The answer, based on this most recent offering at least, is probably not. Since the Whitechapel Murders occurred in 1888-91, over 100 non-fiction titles have been published on the topic. Predictably, because of the high number, they run the gamut from brilliant to embarrassingly bad. This one falls somewhere in the middle.

Despite the subtitle, this is not simply an alphabetically arranged series of entries. It begins with a concise, well-organized synopsis of each of the murder investigations and discusses 18 possible victims. In a summary section, Eddleston concludes that eight women likely fell victim to Jack although, as has become fashionable lately, he believes that Elizabeth Stride, the first victim of the so-called "double event" of 30 September 1888, should, perhaps, not be included. The book also contains detailed street maps (among the best published so far) and new photographs of the murder sites as they now look. Unfortunately, at a time when extensive footnotes have become a mandatory aspect of serious Ripper research, this book contains none. And while the discussions of the murders are quite good, they are not as good as those in Philip Sugden's monumental The Complete History of Jack the Ripper which appeared, early in 2002, in revised paperback editions published by Robinson in London and by Carroll & Graf in New York.

The encyclopedic part of the book consists of separate chapters in which the witnesses, the police, "others who played a part", and suspects (a whopping 114 of them) are each summarized in alphabetical entries. This can be rather confusing since a researcher has to know into which category a subject fits before it can be looked up. (One can, of course, use the index, although that seems to defeat the purpose of creating an alphabetical list in the first place.) In addition to naming the many suspects, Eddleston also ranks each of them on a scale from 0 to 5 on their chances of being the Ripper. The large number of possible suspects seems, frankly, excessive---especially since many of them are introduced only to be immediately discounted. And several of the major suspects (except, of course, for Eddleston's own favourite) seem to be dismissed from consideration rather cavalierly. In any event, the encyclopedic aspect of the book cannot compete with what is unquestionably the leading reference book in the field, the most recent edition of The Jack the Ripper A-Z (London: Headline, 1996) compiled by Paul Begg, Martin Fido, and Keith Skinner.

Ultimately, in a final summary, Eddleston opts for George Hutchinson as the most likely of the named suspects. This is certainly not a novel suggestion since this witness, who figured prominently in the Mary Jane Kelly murder inquiry, has become an increasingly popular candidate in recent years. In fact, his candidacy was thoroughly explored by Bob Hinton in From Hell: The Jack the Ripper Mystery (Abertillery, Wales: Old Bakehouse Publications, 1998). Now, admittedly, From Hell has its own set of problems. It, too, has no footnotes and is very obviously in need of a good editor and proofreader; nonetheless, it contains much the same information on Hutchinson as Jack the Ripper: An Encyclopedia but at a fraction of the cost.

There is a chapter devoted to correspondence, which includes a discussion of several of the letters allegedly written by the murderer. Eddleston includes the letter dated 17 September 1888 [Ref: HO 144/221/A49301C] that was first published in Paul Feldman's Jack the Ripper: The Final Chapter (London: Virgin, 1997). He refers to this letter two or three times and places a great deal of importance on it. Unfortunately, very few Ripper researchers consider the letter to be genuine; nearly all believe it to be a modern hoax that was planted among the official documents in the Public Record Office. Now, there is nothing wrong with Eddleston's deciding that the letter is real and using its contents accordingly; but he should, at the very least, advert to the fact that there is serious disagreement among the experts as to the letter's authenticity. To do any less is to mislead his readers.

A potentially very useful chapter deals with the myths and errors that have crept into Ripper research over the years. The canards that he attempts to explode deal with only the five canonical victims (Nichols, Chapman, Stride, Eddowes, and Kelly) and, once again, the undertaking is hampered by the lack of footnoting. Eddleston lists neither the sources of the myths nor the sources of his (presumably correct) answers, so the value of the section is rather limited.

A chapter dealing with "The Literature" contains an annotated listing of some of the books and films that have dealt with Jack the Ripper. The list hits most of the major items that should be brought to the attention of novice researchers in the field, but they are mixed in with a lot of material that should be avoided. Eddleston could have been a little more conscientious in separating the wheat from the chaff. And, in his discussion of the errors that exist in some of the better-known books, references to the relevant page numbers would have been helpful. Just prior to the final summary mentioned above, the book concludes, interestingly, in the same way as From Hell, with detailed directions on how to conduct your own "Ripper walk" through the East End.

The last difficulty with this book is its remarkably high price. If the cost were more reasonable, it would be easier to recommend the book because it does contain some useful information. As it is, however, only the most fanatical collectors of Ripperana should purchase it. It's not that this is a bad book; it's just that there are better books available, for much less money, which cover more or less the same ground.

... this is, without doubt, one of the best Ripper books EVER produced. It is complete in that it covers every possible victim, every suspect and everyone who plays a part. The arguments are logical and not sullied by the blinkered stupidity of most other writers on the subject. It is an ideal reference work for the newcomer to the field or the so-called self-ackowledged expert and should be on everyone's shelf. Better to buy this book than a dozen others covering the nonsense of the Freemason conspiracy or the nonsense of the Maybrick theory.
Ninety nine percent of books on this topic are dross. There are a few gems and this is up there with them. ...

This book is logically organized into different sections (victims, witnesses, police, etc.) & then alphabetically arranged within each section, so it's very easy to find what you're looking for, even without using the extensive index. Eddleston debunks many of the popular theories on who the killer may have been, & intelligently & concisely describes pros & cons for Jack the Ripper's possible victims (5 to 8 seems to be the most frequently cited range for the number of murders he committed). I disagree with certain of his conclusions (e.g., that Elizabeth Stride was probably not a victim), but more often than not, I feel that Eddleston is right on target. His discussion of Aaron Cohen & Nathan Kaminsky is interesting, as is his belief that George Hutchinson or "Unknown Male" (someone who has not come to light) are two of the most likely candidates. Good discussion of the Maybrick Diary. Even though some of his logic is faulty, I'd have to say that this is one of the three best Jack the Ripper books in my library (along with Philip Sugden's "The Complete Casebook of Jack the Ripper" & Paul Begg's, et. al., "The Jack the Ripper A-Z." It's high priced but well written & well made & worth the money.

Authors Stewart P. Evans and Donald Rumbelow are not only two of the most well-respected authors in the field of Ripper studies (with such titles as The Ultimate Jack the Ripper Sourcebook: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, Jack the Ripper: Letters from Hell and The Complete Jack the Ripper), they are also two former London police officers who are directly responsible for finding and preserving important documents about this case for posterity. Put the two of them together and you can expect a book just full of great information, much of it brand new and fully documented with footnotes. On top of that, this is also easily the Ripper title with the most illustrations, many of them never before seen in any other modern publication. This book is simply required reading for anyone with a serious interest in the Jack the Ripper case.

An Excellent book, very well researched. Another perception of the facts as an insider reviews the details of murder and investigation.Extremely intriguing.

Jack the Ripper: Scotland Yard Investigates is claimed by the authors, Evans and Rumbelow, to be the first JtR book based solely upon the evidence that the police of the time had. The opening chapter on Charles Warren was fascinating and the book stayed on a top level of research and evidence presentation. It covers the canonical five and also a few of the other potential victims. Evans and Rumblelow know what they are doing, each of them has at least one other book out on this subject. They do not give you the long list of suspects presented after years of speculation brings about. Rather, they present to us the events and investigations through the documentations of the time period. Since it is "from the police" viewpoint, there are focuses on Warren, Munro, MacNaughten, and Anderson; all men who had prominent roles in police events of those years.

If you are interested in the case and want a book about it, this is a good text for you. It covers the murders and investigations but offers no real suspect list (as many of the suspects began to arise well after the events by more modern researchers). If you are more 'into the subject' and read many books on JtR, this is pretty standard fair and absolutely worth putting in your collection; however, there's litte new information that you can ponder. Plenty of fantastic photos and the research is top notch. Glossy pages are a bonus and it's a large sized book (7 3/4" x 10 1/2") of 294 pages. The Appendix A gives you a list of divisions in the Metropolitan police force. Appendix B contains a timeline and brief content of a multitude of letters sent in to various divisions and news agencies.