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Night of the Ripper
First Published: 1984 Publisher: Doubleday Format: Hardcover |
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Summary: In the fog-shrouded Whitechapel district of London, 1888, Jack the Ripper stalks his victims, terrorizing the city in his wake. A visiting American doctor, a local nurse, and an Inspector from Scotland Yard each find themselves increasingly embroiled in the mystery of the killer’s identity—and the closer they come to the truth, the closer they come to falling victim to the Ripper’s blade.
Bloch: “Over the years, I’ve written a number of stories involving Jack the Ripper—and, in so doing, amassed quite a collection of books and articles on his deeds, or misdeeds. Inevitably I was struck by the numerous discrepancies and contradictions in the accounts given by various theorists. I tried to collate the “facts” given by these “Ripperologists,” and eventually decided it was almost impossible to do so. Meanwhile, quite a few fans kept suggesting I do my own version of the story, so in the end it seemed as if writing a book was inevitable.”—The Robert Bloch Companion
“The Night of the Ripper both summarized and exorcised my professional preoccupation with the prototype of today’s mad slashers. In order to underscore the point that throughout history crimes far worse than Jack’s had been committed in the name of patriotism, religion, local custom or tradition, I included a number of examples as chapter headings. Oddly enough, when the novel was published in 1984, most readers seemed to get the point, but some reviewers missed it completely; they thought I’d attempted to add gratuitous gore.”—Once Around the Bloch
Note: Bloch populates the novel with appearances from real-life personages of the period such as Arthur Conan Doyle, George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, and John Merrick, the Elephant Man.
Bloch: “Over the years, I’ve written a number of stories involving Jack the Ripper—and, in so doing, amassed quite a collection of books and articles on his deeds, or misdeeds. Inevitably I was struck by the numerous discrepancies and contradictions in the accounts given by various theorists. I tried to collate the “facts” given by these “Ripperologists,” and eventually decided it was almost impossible to do so. Meanwhile, quite a few fans kept suggesting I do my own version of the story, so in the end it seemed as if writing a book was inevitable.”—The Robert Bloch Companion
“The Night of the Ripper both summarized and exorcised my professional preoccupation with the prototype of today’s mad slashers. In order to underscore the point that throughout history crimes far worse than Jack’s had been committed in the name of patriotism, religion, local custom or tradition, I included a number of examples as chapter headings. Oddly enough, when the novel was published in 1984, most readers seemed to get the point, but some reviewers missed it completely; they thought I’d attempted to add gratuitous gore.”—Once Around the Bloch
Note: Bloch populates the novel with appearances from real-life personages of the period such as Arthur Conan Doyle, George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, and John Merrick, the Elephant Man.
Bibliography
US: Knopf Doubleday; hc 1984
UK: Granada; pb 1985
UK: Grafton; pb 1986
UK: Robert Hale; hc 1986
Switzerland: Sinfonia ("La Nuit de L'eventreur"); hc 1986
US: Tor Books; pb 1986
Germany: Heyne ("Der Ripper") pb 1987
Spain: Plaza & Janes ("La Noche del Destripador"); pb 1987
Spain: Clancier - Guenaud ("La Nuit de L'eventreur"); pb 1988
France: NEO ("L'eventreur"); pb 1989
France: Presses Pocket ("La Nuit De L'eventreur"); pb 1992
Italy: Bompiani ("Jack lo Squartatore") pb 1994
Italy: Fabbri Editori ("Jack lo Squartatore") pb 1994
France: Pocket ("L'eventreur"); pb 1994
Italy: Bompiani ("Jack lo Squartatore"); pb 2002
US: Subterranean Press (Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper); omnibus hc 2011
US: Valancourt Books; hc/pb 2024
UK: Granada; pb 1985
UK: Grafton; pb 1986
UK: Robert Hale; hc 1986
Switzerland: Sinfonia ("La Nuit de L'eventreur"); hc 1986
US: Tor Books; pb 1986
Germany: Heyne ("Der Ripper") pb 1987
Spain: Plaza & Janes ("La Noche del Destripador"); pb 1987
Spain: Clancier - Guenaud ("La Nuit de L'eventreur"); pb 1988
France: NEO ("L'eventreur"); pb 1989
France: Presses Pocket ("La Nuit De L'eventreur"); pb 1992
Italy: Bompiani ("Jack lo Squartatore") pb 1994
Italy: Fabbri Editori ("Jack lo Squartatore") pb 1994
France: Pocket ("L'eventreur"); pb 1994
Italy: Bompiani ("Jack lo Squartatore"); pb 2002
US: Subterranean Press (Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper); omnibus hc 2011
US: Valancourt Books; hc/pb 2024