JACK THE RIPPER AND THE EAST END

Hardback. Intro' by Peter Ackroyd. 'The words 'Jack the Ripper and the East End' conjure up a vision of the darker side of Victorian London - dimly lit alleys, foggy nights, prostitutes, poverty and horrific murder. How does this image square up with the facts? First published to coincide with a major exhibition at the Museum in Docklands, this book examines the Whitechapel Murders from many sides and delves into both the myth and the reality. It is not so much the crimes themselves that are under the microscope here but the intricate landscape of the East End. We discover how Whitechapel became, in the minds of Victorians, the site of disgust, danger and moral desolation. Previously unseen photographs from the Museum of London's collection capture the grim reality of everyday life in the East End. Leading historians throw fascinating new light on the inhabitants of Whitechapel and Spitalfields at the time of the murders. There are insights into prostitution, sexual violnce and policing. The Flower and Dean Street rookery, with its cheap lodging houses, associated with all the Whitechapel murder victims, is set alongside slum clearance. The new model dwellings that catered for respectable artisans and their families are shown actually to have made the situation worse for the poorest, including many who were deserving but unfortunate. The 'Ladies' who volunteered in the many charitable organisations and missions are examined as they fearlessly walked the streets at the time of the murders. An analysis of the area where Mary Jane Kelly was murdered makes use of Booth's famous colour-coded 'Map of Poverty' to uncover the true nature of London's dark ghetto. The shock and revulsion of the Whitechapel murders caused the public to look for a scapegoat. Attention fell on the immigrants in the area. This book discusses the impact on the Victorian East End of the Irish and, in particular, the large number of Jews who were recent arrrivals. Jack the Ripper inhabits the same world as Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Sherlock Holmes: as man becomes beast, the forces of good and evil battle it out. Jack the Ripper's identity and the murders have been re-interpreted by each new generation in film, art and literature. This lavishly illustrated book reveals how they have shaped our reading and vision of the East End.' Profusely Illus. + Map eps, Contributors, Notes, Further Reading, and Index. 288pp. 4to. h/back. F. in F. protected dw. A heavy book which will require additional postage if shipped overseas.