 Jack the Ripper features in hundreds of works of fiction and works which straddle the boundaries between fact and fiction , including the Ripper letters and a hoax Diary of Jack the Ripper . The Ripper appears in novels , short stories , poems , comic books , games , songs , plays , operas , television programmes , and films . More than 100 non @-@ fiction works deal exclusively with the Jack the Ripper murders , making it one of the most written @-@ about true @-@ crime subjects . The term " ripperology " was coined by Colin Wilson in the 1970s to describe the study of the case by professionals and amateurs . The periodicals Ripperana , Ripperologist , and Ripper Notes publish their research . 
