Jack the Ripper

Between August and November 1888, a killer stalked the streets of London's East End, and the autumn of that year became the start of a legend. His method was ritualistic, his violence grew more extreme with each attack, and he took grisly keepsakes from his victims. He also taunted the men hunting him. Other killers have claimed more lives, but none has matched the lasting hold of this one, whose identity has drawn more than a hundred competing theories over the past 125 years. The crimes have since inspired thousands of books, films and stories.

This anthology explores that legacy from several angles. It pairs an account of the real case, drawn from contemporary reports and a century of careful analysis, with fiction the murders have inspired across the crime and horror genres. Some pieces are established classics, while others were commissioned for this volume.

The contributors include Jeffery Deaver, Anne Perry, George Bernard Shaw, Ellery Queen, Boris Akunin, Ramsey Campbell, Harlan Ellison and Robert Bloch.