'Dear Mr. Patterson
As a researcher on criminal matters, and with particular interest in the Whitechapel murders (London-1888), I would like to obtain your booklet referred to in Ripperana # 25, July 1998...'
October 1 1998. Miss. Long. North Carolina:
'Would you be so kind as to let me know if your work is available here in America - and the price, plus shipping and handling charges.'
November 3 1999. Mr G. Marinoni. California:
'...I'd like to buy the book 'Paradox'. Could you please confirm that it is still available, the price (including shipping to the U.S) and the preferred form of payment...'
December 2 1998. 'Greyhouse Books', Portobello-road, London.
'Dear Richard,
Many thanks for your letter of November 16th recently received with enclosures. I am enclosing a cheque for AUS $525.00 for payment of 30 copies of 'Paradox,'...By the way I have already received orders for it and will be showing it to Paul Daniel (editor of Ripperologist), Paul Begg and Keith Skinner who are involved in the encyclopaedia, which is being financed by one of our customers, Jeremy Beadle, who is a very famous TV personality here in the UK."
March 2 1999. Australian writer, and film producer, Mr Phillip Adams AO:
'Dear Richard,
As you well know, British publishing has an insatiable interest in the Ripper murders. Though modern serial killers abound their body count far exceeding old Jack's - he remains the daddy of them all. And your theory is at least as plausible as the half dozen others I've read involving one of Queen Victoria's errant son; the painter John Sargent and the Masonic conspiracy.
Why don't you invest a little more time in the text - beef it up into a book and send it off to the appropriate publishers? I think they'd jump at it.
Kind regards.
Phillip Adams, AO'
June 7 1999. Burns & Oates:
Wilfrid Meynell, thompson's friend & heir, was once on the board of the Burns & Oates publishing house. It was this publisher that produced and sold Thompson's first works of prose and poetry.
'Dear Mr Patterson
Thank you for your letter of 14 May and a copy of 'Paradox.' As you say, this is hardly a potential book for Burns & Oates. I have dipped into it fairly extensively and as yet failed to find any convincing connection between Francis Thompson and Jack the Ripper, but maybe I shall in time. In view of the connections between Burns and Oates and Francis Thompson and the Meynells I hope I might keep this copy as an interesting contribution towards a possible history of the firm. I certainly do not find it in any way lacking in goodwill, sympathy and respect, so please set your mind at rest on that score.
Best wishes.
Paul Burns Commissionng Editor, Burns & Oates'
July 14 2000, David N. Pepperell, Kill City Crime Books 226 Chapel Street Prahran:
Dear Richard
I would be very intersted [sic] in stocking your books - please advise titles, costs etc. Thank you DAVID
February 8 2001, Ripper Casebook, Stephen P Ryder:
Hi Richard -
I have heard of your "Paradigm 2000" and was wondering if you would send a
review copy for placement on "Casebook: Jack the Ripper". I've had a number
of inquiries about it and have forwarded them to your website.
All the best,
September 25 2001, Boston College, Cindy Jones:
Boston College is a university with almost 15,000 students. Founded in 1863, it is one of the oldest Jesuit, Catholic universities in the United States. US News & World Report ranks Boston College 40th among national universities. This college has the John J. Burns Library a collection of rare books and fifteen million manuscripts. The Burns Library also has the Francis Thompson room which displays original manuscripts and other ephemera of the poet.
Hello,
I am interested in purchasing a copy of your book. How much
would it be in American dollars? I work at Boston College
in the education library and learned of your book through a
colleauge [sic]who works at the Burns Library.
December 7 2001, Crime In Store, Thalia Proctor
Dear Richard,
Looked at your website and the book seems suitable for us - can you tell me
what discount you do for trade? How much that is in �? How much shipping is?
Etc...
Thanks
Thalia
Crime In Store
14 Bedford St
London
The author wrote to Ken Anderson. He is the writer of the books 'Coincidences: accident or design?' (Angus & Robertson, 1991) and 'Extraordinary Coincidences' (HarperCollins 1993). The author asked Mr. Anderson whether his theory was merely a series of coincidences and if they were then how would he rate the facts established on a coincidence 'Richter Scale'. On January 22, 2002,
Mr. Anderson kindly gave a considered reply:
Dear Richard,
Thank you for sending me a copy of 'Jack the Ripper.'
I do not think your connections between Thompson and the Ripper crimes can be dismissed as pure coincidence, as the fact you have gathered are quite substantial and do not appear to rely on chance as their basis.
As for the coincidences you mention, the murder themselves could be classified as a clustering effect. that is, five are committed in a short space of time, then stop without reason, one of the enduring mysteries of the case. Any observant reader of the media will notice how events happen in lcusters, e,g. an aircraft crash is inevitably followed by another one, two three. etc. Then the series stops. You may have heard of the Austrian Paul Kammerer who set out to prove that what we traditionally call such an effect is in reality the manifestation of a universal principle in nature which operates independently from the known laws of physical causation yet is fundemental as those physical laws.
Kammerer's central theme is that, parallel with causality there is a second basic principle in the universe comparible to gravity. But while gravity acts on all mass without discrimination, this other universal force acts selectively to bring like and like together both in space and time. The 'modus operandi' of this force. Kammerer confesses he is unable to explain because from its hypothesis it operates outside the laws of cauality. Kammerer would have been very interested in the fact that the murders took place on saints days. He would have classified this as a second order event, that is the first being the cluster of murders. Thus we do have a coincidence, except that, as you argure, the days were deliberately chosen.
Also of interest is Thompson's link with De Quincey in that their birth and death dates were in the same year.
The above is meant as a brief guide to coincidences. However, I would not be too concerned about stressing that element of your work, the facts you have gathered are far more important and it is these I would, had I been the author, stress.
Do hope these comments are of some help and congratualtions on a thorough work of research.
Yours sincerely
Ken Anderson.
Hi there I�m from Singapore and my name is Mohamed Elias. I would like to purchase a [sic] the book "Jack The Ripper" so if u don't mind could you tell me how much would it cost for the book plus the posting charges so I could mail you back with the payment and what is the address i should mail to you? Finally could I pay you with bank draft.? Thank you
kind regards,
Elias
May 12 2002, Cheri
Hi!
My name is Cheri - I go to UW [University of Washington]. For English we studied JTR and wrote all our papers on the victims, suspects, letters, etc. For my final essay I narrowed
it down to Francis Thompson as my top choice.
My teacher told me about your website! I was so glad to see it! When finals
are done, I will have more time to read the total adaptation and will get
back to you!
Take care,
Cheri
June 27 2002, University of Wisconsin-Colleges, Tina Duehring
We would like to purchase a copy of the book Jack the Ripper, however, I do
have some questions regarding getting the book.
First of all do you or any of the stores listed on the website ship to the
US? Also, do you or any of the stores accept credit cards for payment of
the book? Since we would be working with exchange rates, it would be
difficult for us to issue a check since the exchange rate constantly
changes. It would also be difficult for us to get a check issued in
Australian Dollars.
Do you have any recomendations [sic]as to the best way for us to purchase this
book?
Thanks,
Tina Duehring
Financial Specialist 2
University of Wisconsin-Colleges
Library Support Services
August 9 2003, Chris Gardner
Richard
pleased to confirm that your book was delivered safe and sound this
morning. Haven't had a chance to start reading yet, but it is beautifully
produced- the photos look excellent. Looking forward to finding some time
away from the children to read properly
Chris
Suffolk
United Kingdom.