Mango Books

New book announcement:

TRIAL OF NORMAN THORNE
edited by Paul Worsley KC

Official Notable British Trials series No. 93

Should chicken farmer Norman Thorne have been executed for the murder of his fiancée? He had the motive, the means and the opportunity, and after her death he cut up her body and buried the parts in the chicken runs.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, on the eve of the ex*****on, wrote:

“I do not think that the case was absolutely made out… There is no way of putting things right if the man’s life is taken, and it would be a terrible thing if he were not guilty of murder.”

There are compelling arguments that Thorne ran the wrong defence and should have escaped the hangman’s noose.

You decide.

To be published 15th September 2023.
Pre-order before 19th August 2023 to receive a signed, individually numbered copy.

A4 hardback, dust jacket, 368 pages.
Illustrated, bibliography, index.

https://mangobooks.co.uk/products/trial-of-norman-thorne

New book alert..
THE ANNOTATED FAMOUS CRIMES PAST AND PRESENT: JACK THE RIPPER
by Adam Wood

Covering celebrated cases of the day such as the Maybrick murder, poisoner William Palmer and the notorious burglar-turn-killer Charlie Peace, Famous Crimes was a true crime periodical which ran for three years, under the editorship of Harold Furniss.

Now highly collectable, the four-part Jack the Ripper series is one of the scarcest. Produced around 1904, just sixteen years after the Whitechapel murders, the text was written by 'a journliast who was specially engaged to investigate the crimes at the time they were committed.' It is impressive in its accuracy, and includes some interesting commentary made in the wake of the murders.

The illustrations, by Ferdinand Fissi, are some of the most recognisable and atmospheric ever produced on the subject.
This reproduction of the full Ripper series has been scanned in colour from original editions, and includes an Introduction and annotated notes throughout by Adam Wood.

To be published 3 March 2023.

* Pre-order before 28 February 2023 to receive a limited edition hardcover edition, signed and individually numbered. General sale copies will be softcover only. *

https://mangobooks.co.uk/products/the-annotated-famous-crimes-past-and-present-jack-the-ripper

THE MASTER GHOST HUNTER
Just £5 for Halloween!

Richard Whittington-Egan's 5-star rated biography of Elliott O'Donnell, the celebrated prince of ghost hunters, is currently available on at just £5.00 (plus P&P) to celebrate Halloween! Offer ends 1 November 2022.

https://mangobooks.co.uk/products/the-master-ghost-hunter-a-life-of-elliott-odonnell

The three talks recorded at the recent The Maybrick Murder and the Diary of Jack the Ripper Book Launch event are online now.

Chris Jones- The Maybrick Murder
Chris Jones- The Diary of Jack the Ripper
Adam Wood- Two Trials: 1887 and 1889

Links here:

https://forum.casebook.org/forum/ripper-media/audio-visual/rippercast/796473-the-maybrick-murder-and-the-diary-of-jack-the-ripper-book-launch-event

The Maybrick Murder and The Diary of Jack the Ripper Book Launch Event - Casebook: Jack the Ripper Forums This is the first of two talks given by author Chris Jones at the book launch event for The Maybrick Murder and the Diary of Jack the Ripper. Talk One: The Maybrick Murder Mbooklaunch.jpg Available now at the following link: http://www.rippercast.com/mp3/Chris_Jones_The_Maybrick_Murder.mp3 Also on S...

History Hack: The Ex*****on of Billy Peppermint In this slice of local history, Joanne Mungovin tells a tale of the last man to be publicly executed in Leicester and what he did to earn that grim distinction. Support us: https://www.patreon.com/historyhack Tips: https://ko-fi.com/historyhack Merch: http...

Florence Elizabeth Chandler was born on this day in 1862 - some sources say 1861 - to William Gaines Chandler and Caroline Holbrook, in Mobile, Alabama.

By the time she was twenty-five she was married to Liverpool cotton broker James Maybrick, and had two children. The couple enjoyed a mainly comfortable lifestyle, living in Battlecrease House opposite the city's cricket ground.

But when her husband died in 1889 Florence was arrested for his murder. Initially found Guilty and sentenced to death, she would eventually serve fifteen years' imprisonment before returning to America and living her final years as a recluse. She died in poverty in 1941.

A journal, supposedly written by him in the period before his death, was allegedly discovered hidden at Battlecrease fifty years after Florence's passing, in which Maybrick admitted to being the notorious serial killer, Jack the Ripper.

Did Florence poison James Maybrick? Was he the Whitechapel murderer? Is the so-called Diary of Jack the Ripper the chilling confession of the world's most infamous killer?

Find out in THE MAYBRICK MURDER AND THE DIARY OF JACK THE RIPPER. There's just one week left to pre-order a limited edition signed and numbered hardback edition - A4 372 pages, full colour throughout.
www.FlorenceMaybrick.com

New book alert:

THE MAYBRICK MURDER AND THE DIARY OF JACK THE RIPPER: THE END GAME
by Christopher J.M. Jones and Dr Daniel L. Dolgin

www.FlorenceMaybrick.com

In 1889 Victorian England was shocked to its very core by a scandalous murder case in Liverpool. A young American woman, Florence Maybrick, was found guilty of killing her much older husband James by poisoning him with arsenic extracted from flypapers.

It was a story that had everything: s*x, drugs and adultery. Queen Victoria and three American presidents were to be caught up in the drama, and Florence was to spend fifteen years in prison for the crime - but did she really murder her husband?

In 1992, the story took a new and even more dramatic twist. A diary was found, allegedly written by James Maybrick, in which he supposedly confessed to being the world’s most notorious serial killer: Jack the Ripper.

The diary has proved to be one of the most controversial historical documents of all time. To some the diary is a true account, a window into the mind of the killer. To others, it is an obvious and transparent hoax.

Using a large amount of new material and research, the authors of this book have finally and definitively solved two of the greatest mysteries in the annals of crime.

Hardcover, 300 pages, illustrated in colour throughout.

To be published 12 September 2022.

Pre-order before 9 September 2022 to receive a signed and numbered edition.

www.FlorenceMaybrick.com

Fine research from the author of the fantastic PEPPERMINT BILLY, available at PeppermintBilly.com

Today is your last chance to grab a signed hardback copy!

Pre-order now for a limited edition signed and numbered hardback copy. General sale copies will be softcover, unsigned only.

https://mangobooks.co.uk/collections/frontpage/products/peppermint-billy

PEPPERMINT BILLY:
WILLIAM BROWN AND THE TOLLGATE MURDERS OF 1856
by Jo Mungovin

The tale of ‘Peppermint Billy’ has become almost a Leicestershire folklore tale over the years, with the murderer becoming something of a mythical bogeyman. Now, for the first time, the true story is told in full.

In the summer of June 1856 the whole of Leicestershire was horror-struck at news of the gruesome double murder of a seventy year old tollgate keeper and his nine year old grandson at Melton Mowbray.

William Brown, a native of nearby Scalford, was the prime suspect. A returned convict who had been previously sentenced to ten years’ transportation, ‘Peppermint Billy’ had supposedly sworn vengeance against the person who had sent him to the other side of the world.

Tracked down and put on trial for the gruesome murders at the Thorpe Road tollgate, William Brown was the last person publicly hanged in Leicester.

From his father’s lawless Judge and Jury Clubs to William’s ten year transportation sentence and incarceration in the notorious New Norfolk Lunatic Asylum in Van Dieman’s Land, the author examines the troubled life of ‘Peppermint Billy’ and the events leading to the double murder and his ex*****on.

https://mangobooks.co.uk/collections/frontpage/products/peppermint-billy

New book announcement:

PEPPERMINT BILLY:
WILLIAM BROWN AND
THE TOLLGATE MURDERS OF 1856

by Joanne Vigor-Mungovin

To be published 2nd May 2022. Pre-order at www.PeppermintBilly.com to receive a signed and numbered copy.

The tale of ‘Peppermint Billy’ has become almost a Leicestershire folklore tale over the years, with the murderer becoming something of a mythical bogeyman. Now, for the first time, the true story is told in full.

In the summer of June 1856 the whole of Leicestershire was horror-struck at news of the gruesome double murder of a seventy year old tollgate keeper and his nine year old grandson at Melton Mowbray.

William Brown, a native of nearby Scalford, was the prime suspect. A returned convict who had been previously sentenced to ten years’ transportation, ‘Peppermint Billy’ had supposedly sworn vengeance against the person who had sent him to the other side of the world.

Tracked down and put on trial for the gruesome murders at the Thorpe Road tollgate, William Brown was the last person publicly hanged in Leicester.

From his father’s lawless Judge and Jury Clubs to William’s ten year transportation sentence and incarceration in the notorious New Norfolk Lunatic Asylum in Van Dieman’s Land, the author examines the troubled life of ‘Peppermint Billy’ and the events leading to the double murder and his ex*****on.

JOANNE VIGOR-MUNGOVIN was born and raised in Leicestershire. Her first book, the bestselling Joseph: The Life, Times and Places of the Elephant Man (2016), led her to work with Michael Portillo on Channel 5’s Hidden History of Britain television series, and after locating Joseph Merrick’s lost and forgotten final resting place in 2019 she worked with BBC East Midland’s 'Inside Out’. Joanne currently works as a freelance consultant for Historic England, and is the archivist for the Leicester Civic Society. She has a regular radio ‘On This Day’ slot on Leicester Community Radio, and is a volunteer at the little pre-loved bookshop at the old lock keeper’s cottage at Foxton Locks, near Market Harborough. This is her second book.

Pre-order at www.PeppermintBilly.com to receive a signed and numbered copy.

A half hour long presentation by Andrew Firth about the areas of London where the Jack the Ripper murders took place.

“Ripperland”, the book that this talk is based upon is currently available for £17.50 plus p&p from the Mango Books online store at
https://mangobooks.co.uk/products/ripperland

Andrew Firth - A Journey Through Ripperland A video presentation produced for the 2020 Mango Books virtual conference, giving a 'then and now' video tour of Jack the Ripper's London. Andrew Firth's hig...

One of the stunning photographs from Andrew Firth's book “Pictures of the Abyss”, available direct from the Mango Books store at only £17.50 plus P&P - an ideal Christmas present!
https://mangobooks.co.uk/products/pictures-of-the-abyss

We have four softcover copies of SIGNED Sally Smith's 'Trial of Ronald Light' available at just £10.00!

Visit the website below to order - first come first served!

https://mangobooks.co.uk/products/trial-of-ronald-light

On this day in 1974, just after 9 o’clock in the evening of Sunday, 7th November, Sandra Rivett was murdered at 46 Lower Belgrave Street, the home she shared with her employer, Veronica Lucan.

Lady Lucan would later state that the attacker was her estranged husband, Lord Lucan. He has not been seen since that day.

RIP Sandra, and RIP Veronica.

Now available in softcover - Andrew Firth's acclaimed PICTURES OF THE ABYSS.

When the American author Jack London ventured into the East End in the summer of 1902 to research the hopeless living conditions so typical of the area, he was to witness such sights as the cramped living conditions in shabby Frying Pan Alley, the revolting menial tasks that inmates of the Whitechapel casual ward carried out to pay for a dismal bed and a frugal meal of bread and ‘skilly’.

In his book “The People of the Abyss”, London gave vivid written descriptions of the East End, and also photographed a considerable number of evocative scenes to complement the text. These well-known images have been frequently reprinted over the years, often to illustrate books about Jack the Ripper and the East End in general.

By using high quality scans of the original photographs from the Jack London archives (including some rare or previously unpublished images), and then superimposing them into their modern-day equivalent scenes, photographer and graphic designer Andrew Firth has created a unique visual survey of what now remains of the old ‘Abyss’.

The book contains over sixty photo-montages and over 150 colour and monochrome photographs of the scenes as they appear today. The book also features a foreword written by tour guide and author Richard Jones.

132 landscape pages, colour throughout. £17.50 +p&p.
https://mangobooks.co.uk/products/pictures-of-the-abyss

Now available in softcover - Andrew Firth's acclaimed RIPPERLAND!

The book contains over forty photomontages and over 130 colour and monochrome photographs of modern day “Ripperland” at its most atmospheric. The book also features a foreword written by Ripper tour guide and author John Bennett.

130 landscape pages, colour throughout. £17.50 +p&p.

https://mangobooks.co.uk/products/ripperland

The full harrowing story is set out in Trial of Louise Masset, available here:
https://mangobooks.co.uk/products/trial-of-louise-masset

Notable British Trials: On This Day.

26 October 1898 - Nellie Gentle has a studio photograph of Manfred Masset taken.

Trial of Louise Masset [NBT 85], ed. Kate Clarke.

Shortly before 6.30 pm on Friday 27 October 1899, the still-warm body of a child was found on the floor of a lavatory on Platform 3 at Dalston Junction Railway Station; he had been bludgeoned and suffocated. The child was identified as three year old Manfred Masset, and his mother, Louise, was quickly suspected of the murder. She denied it, saying that, by the time the body was discovered, she had already arrived in Brighton, where she had arranged to spend the weekend with her young lover, Eudore Lucas. So why had she removed the child from the loving care of his nurse, Nellie Gentle – and what were the true circumstances of this shocking murder?

More North-East London railway infrastructure mysteries:

Trial of Franz Muller [NBT 13], ed. H.B. Irving.

On the night of Saturday 9 July 1864, a suburban train on the North London Railway arrived at Hackney, and a passenger noticed that a compartment was covered with blood, and in the carriage a hat, stick, and bag were found. On the same night, a driver of a train noticed the body of a man lying between Hackney Wick and Bow stations. Late the following night, he expired from his injuries. Suspicion fell upon a man named Muller who was found to have left London for America. He was arrested on board the Victoria when it arrived in New York Harbour, and after a four davs' trial was sentenced to death.

Last chance to pre-order a signed copy!

THE WATCHMAKER'S REVENGE:
MURDER, SU***DE AND INSANITY
IN VICTORIAN COVENTRY
by Adam Wood

"Last night considerable excitement was caused in Coventry by the report that a number of persons had been shot and seriously wounded by a man who was going about the town with a revolver."​

The horrific actions of watchmaker Oliver Style on the evening of Thursday, 27th May 1880 are now long forgotten. But at the time the case was national - and international - news, and barely left the pages of local newspapers for six months.​

He had walked into the Old Half Moon pub on Coventry's Spon End and shot two customers and the landlady without saying a word, then just as suddenly left and made his way to Much Park Street, where he shot his wife, their infant son and his mother in law.

Think of Coventry's famous watchmaking industry and the image which comes to mind is of a genial, skilled craftsman, hunched over a workstation, carrying out his work with infinite care to support his loving family. But scratch beneath the surface and tales of drunkeness, domestic abuse and infidelity are rife.​This book examines the long-forgotten case of Oliver Style and the harrowing aftermath of his actions, and reveals the real lives of the Coventry watchmaking community.

To be published in paperback on 29th October 2021.
Pre-order now to receive a signed copy.

www.WatchmakerBook.com

RIP F***y Adams, killed on this day in 1867.

Notable British Trials: On This Day.

24 August 1867 - Death of F***y Adams.

Trial of Frederick Baker [NBT 91], ed. David Green.

Frederick Baker was a decidedly odd character, often seen skulking around town exhibiting a range of morbid and eccentric behaviours. His corpse-white complexion and black top hat composed his trademark appearance. This book charts his upbringing, his family life and career, and his depraved emotional and s*xual impulses, fully exploring his progression from a weak and sensitive child to a swaggering, intemperate monster.

Suggested further reading:

Trial of Louise Masset [NBT 85], ed. Kate Clarke.

Shortly before 6.30 pm on Friday 27 October 1899, the still-warm body of a child was found on the floor of a lavatory on Platform 3 at Dalston Junction Railway Station; he had been bludgeoned and suffocated. The child was identified as three year old Manfred Masset, and his mother, Louise, was quickly suspected of the murder. She denied it, saying that, by the time the body was discovered, she had already arrived in Brighton, where she had arranged to spend the weekend with her young lover, Eudore Lucas. So why had she removed the child from the loving care of his nurse, Nellie Gentle – and what were the true circumstances of this shocking murder?

Book of the Week:
JACOB THE RIPPER: THE CASE AGAINST JACOB LEVY
By Tracy and Neil I'Anson

On 10th March 1886 Jacob Levy was arrested by PC Bacon for being involved in the theft of meat from his neighbour Hyman Sampson.

He was found Guilty of Receiving and sentenced to twelve months’ Hard Labour. Jacob was sent first to Holloway Prison, and then transferred to Chelmsford Prison on 19th April to serve his sentence. However, a few weeks later, on 21st May, Jacob was certified insane after attempting su***de, and was admitted to Ess*x County Lunatic Asylum at Chelmsford on 26th May 1886.

The admission records from Ess*x Asylum recorded that Jacob was married and had four children, although he didn’t know the age of the youngest child. His occupation was noted as a butcher and his state of bodily health was described as ‘Good.’ It was recorded by medical staff that this was his first attack, and that it had lasted about three weeks. Jacob was described as suicidal, the cause being that he was ‘Fretting about business and family’.

The heading ‘Chief delusions or indication of insanity’ comes under two parts. The first part was to be written by the Medical Officer himself, recording his observations of the patient. The second part was for observation made by others. For his part, the Medical Officer E.H. Carter noted that Jacob was ‘rambling and incoherent talking, restlessness and insomnia.’

The second part of the form was recorded by Temporary Warder Wade, whose comments on Jacob were noted on how he had attempted su***de by strangling, ‘shouting restless and talking at night. Violence. Incessantly talking of imaginary people.’

The document was dated 26th May 1886 and was signed by Medical Officer Dr Carter.

The image shows the record of Jacob Levy’s transferral from Chelmsford Prison to Ess*x County Lunatic Asylum on 26th May 1886.

Read more here:
https://bit.ly/3jN7dCn

Book of the Week:
JACOB THE RIPPER: THE CASE AGAINST JACOB LEVY
By Tracy and Neil I'Anson

Between 1883 and 1884 Jacob Levy took over the butchering business of his aunt Frances at 36 Middles*x Street.

This image shows Middles*x Street looking south, the junction with Stoney Lane plastered with advertisements on the right. No. 36, home to Jacob Levy, obscured by the streetlamp.

Was it the also the home of the Whitechapel murderer?

Read more here:
https://mangobooks.co.uk/products/jacob-the-ripper

On this day in 1819…

Notable British Trials: On This Day.

16 August 1819: The Peterloo Massacre.

Trial of Henry Hunt and Others [NBT 89], ed. Caitlin Kitchener.

A reformist public gathering in Manchester had turned into a massacre, and the headline speaker, Henry Hunt, was charged with conspiracy. But had he and his confederates gone to the meeting with any intention of causing a riot, or did a peaceful protest turn nasty because of the hair-trigger responses of the public officials? Peterloo, as it became known, remains a watershed moment in the history of democracy in the United Kingdom.

Like this? Try this:

Trial of Captain Porteous [NBT 9], ed. William Roughead.

The trial of Captain John Porteous, ‘a name memorable in the traditions of Edinburgh as well as in the records of criminal jurisprudence’ (Sir Walter Scott), took place in July 1736, and in view of the strange and far-reaching events by which it was attended is certainly one of the most remarkable that ever came before the High Court of Justiciary.

Book of the Week:
JACOB THE RIPPER: THE CASE AGAINST JACOB LEVY
By Tracy and Neil I'Anson

Notice of Death of Jacob Levy, dated 30th July 1891.

The report showed that Jacob Levy, 35 years old, a butcher of 36 Middles*x Street, Aldgate died at 7.52pm on 29th July 1891. The cause of death was recorded as ‘General paralysis of the insane’. He had been in the male infirmary since 29th May last. It was recorded that he had had the disease for the duration of ‘some years.’

It was stated clearly that a post-mortem had been refused. Charge attendant Mr Hewlett and Mrs Levy, Jacob’s wife, were there at the time of death.

The report was signed by Coroner White, and underneath his signature are the words “Dead 29.Vll.91.”

Was it the also the demise of the Whitechapel murderer?

Read more here:
https://bit.ly/3jN7dCn

Book of the Week:
JACOB THE RIPPER: THE CASE AGAINST JACOB LEVY

By Tracy and Neil I'Anson

“The London police have a theory that ‘Jack the Ripper' is a crazy Jewish butcher.”

When playing the game of 'Name the Ripper', many authors start with a suspect and attempt to make them fit the facts; some can’t even be proved to be in London at the time of the murders.

What is required is an ordinary man local to the East End; a man who suffered mental illness, and was known to prowl the streets at night. A man with vast experience of wielding a knife in his place of work, and who had family ties to Wentworth Model Dwellings, where the only clue ever left by the killer – a bloodied portion of apron – was discovered. A man whose admission to a lunatic asylum coincided with the cessaton of the Whitechapel murders.

A man like Jacob Levy.

Over the coming days we'll be sharing the thoughts of authors Tracy and Neil I'Anson on their prime suspect for the mantle of Jack the Ripper.

Read more here:
https://bit.ly/3jN7dCn