Mike Covell’s Blogg

Melvin Harris has released several fantastic books, this is a brief synopsis of each one,
Strange to Relate, The BBC 4 series was doing well so Granada Publishing commissioned a book to be released via Dragon, and what a book it is.
Harris takes us on a whirlwind tour of strange and unusual stories from weird stories to massive hoaxes. And this is what Harris excels in, the hoax!!

He uses his powers as a researcher to get to the bottom of the stories presented and proposes what he thinks happened based on the facts!!

I managed to obtain a copy via Amazon for mere pennies and it is well worth reading, and gave an idea of what was to come!

Sorry, You’ve been duped!, was released in 1986 in the UK and included several popular stories if the strange and bizarre, from the Amityville Horror to tales of ghostly visitations. Harris researches each one back to it’s roots to destroy the myth’s and legends that surround the tale.

It is the firts book in which Harris tackles the Ripper, and he looks at the claims made by Victorian Psychic Robert Lee’s.

But for me the coup is Harris taking on Robert D’Onston Stephenson!!
Yes! The “Dead or Alive” story surfaces, two versions of the story are covered and Harris call’s RDS a “A man whose whole life is made up of fantasy”

Investigating the Unexplained, This is the American version of “Sorry you’ve been duped, also released in 1986.

Jack the Ripper, The Bloody Truth, released in 1987 and covering the Whitechapel Murders from the begining to the end. It is also the first book in which “Dr D’Onston” is proposed as the ripper, in the chapter “The Magician from the mists”

There is also an intresting disclaimer at the back stating “At one time I never took him seriously” regarding Harris’s view on Stephenson.

The Ripper File, was released in 1989 and covers the murders, with fine illustrations from “The Illustrated Police News” covering all aspects of the victims and suspects. By chapter 16 “A Passion for darkness” Stephenson once again rears his head and is explored but not in great detail. This is one of the finest books in the genre for its large colourful illustrations.

The True Face of Jack the Ripper, released in 1994 and covering the life and times of Robert D’Onston Stephenson, from birth, to his mysterious disappearing act!! (He’s behind you). The book is a great read but to be taken with a pinch of salt, as modern research as more or less withdrawn Stephenson from the race! Regardless of that, it is still the best Stephenson book on the market right now!

Melvin Harris had a gift, a gift as a writer, researcher and investigator.
He took myths and exposed them, researching and investigating them until he had reached the conclusion that everything is not as it seem’s. In the case of Robert D’Onston Stephenson, it is diffult to ascertain wether Harris was the one being “Duped” or the one “Duping” us.

I imagine him laughing at us right now

“Sorry You’ve Been Duped!”