Robert Van Gulik Books In Order

Judge Dee Mysteries Books In Publication Order

  1. Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee / Dee Goong An (1949)
  2. The Chinese Bell Murders (1958)
  3. The Chinese Gold Murders (1959)
  4. The Chinese Lake Murders (1960)
  5. The Chinese Nail Murders (1961)
  6. The Haunted Monastery (1961)
  7. The Red Pavilion (1961)
  8. The Chinese Maze Murders (1962)
  9. The Lacquer Screen (1962)
  10. The Emperor’s Pearl (1963)
  11. The Monkey and The Tiger (1965)
  12. The Phantom of the Temple (1965)
  13. The Willow Pattern (1965)
  14. Murder in Canton (1966)
  15. Judge Dee at Work (1967)
  16. Necklace and Calabash (1967)
  17. Poets and Murder / The Fox-Magic Murders (1968)

Judge Dee Mysteries Books In Chronological Order

  1. Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee / Dee Goong An (1949)
  2. The Chinese Gold Murders (1959)
  3. The Lacquer Screen (1962)
  4. Judge Dee at Work (1967)
  5. The Chinese Lake Murders (1960)
  6. The Monkey and The Tiger (1965)
  7. The Haunted Monastery (1961)
  8. The Chinese Bell Murders (1958)
  9. The Red Pavilion (1961)
  10. The Emperor’s Pearl (1963)
  11. Poets and Murder / The Fox-Magic Murders (1968)
  12. Necklace and Calabash (1967)
  13. The Chinese Nail Murders (1961)
  14. The Chinese Maze Murders (1962)
  15. The Phantom of the Temple (1965)
  16. The Willow Pattern (1965)
  17. Murder in Canton (1966)

Standalone Novels In Publication Order

  1. The Given Day (1986)

Non-Fiction Books In Publication Order

  1. Sexual Life in Ancient China (1961)
  2. The Lore of the Chinese Lute: An Essay on the Ideology of the Ch’in (1969)
  3. Crime and Punishment in Ancient China (1979)
  4. Chinese Pictorial Art (1981)
  5. Erotic Colour Prints of the Ming Period (1989)
  6. Siddham (2001)
  7. Scrapbook for Chinese Collectors (2006)

Judge Dee Mysteries Book Covers

Judge Dee Mysteries Book Covers

Standalone Novels Book Covers

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Robert Van Gulik Books Overview

Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee / Dee Goong An

Authentic 18th century Chinese detective novel; Dee and associates solve three interlocked cases: The Case of the Double Murder at Dawn, The Case of the Strange Corpse, and The Case of the Poisoned Bridge.

The Chinese Bell Murders

The Chinese Bell Murders describes the Judge’s exploits in the tribunal of Poo yang early in his career. He has one case left over from his predecessor the brutal rape murder of Pure Jade, the daughter of Butcher Hsai who lived on Half Moon Street. Her lover has been accused and is on the verge of being convicted, but Judge Dee senses that all is not right and sets out with his lieutenants to find the real murderer.’So scrupulously in the classic Chinese manner yet so nicely equipped with everything to satisfy the modern reader.’ New York TimesRobert Van Gulik 1910 67 was a Dutch diplomat and an authority on Chinese history and culture. He drew his plots from the whole body of Chinese literature, especially from the popular detective novels that first appeared in the seventeenth century.

The Chinese Gold Murders

Soon after taking up his first magisterial post in the godforsaken district of Peng lai, Judge Dee must look into the murder of his predecessor. His job is complicated by the simultaneous disappearnce of his chief clerk and the new bride of a wealthy local shipowner. ‘The China of old, in Mr. van Gulik’s skilled hands, comes vividly alive again.’ Allen J. Hubin, New York Times Book Review’If you have not yet discovered Judge Dee, I envy you that initial pleasure…
the discovery of a great detective story. For the magistrate of Poo yan belongs in that select group headed by Sherlock Holmes.’ Robert Kirsch, Los Angeles TimesRobert van Gulik 1910 67, a Dutch diplomat and an authority on Chinese history and culture, drew his plots from the popular detective novels that appeared in seventeenth century China.

The Chinese Lake Murders

In the third installment of Robert Van Gulik’s classic ancient Chinese mystery series based on historical court records, magistrate, lawyer, and detective Judge Dee has his work cut out for him. Set in 666 A.D., in the hidden city of Han yuan, sixty miles from the imperial capital of ancient China, Dee is sent to investigate a case of embezzlement of government funds. But things are about to get more complicated for the great detective. Just before he is about to take leave of Han yuan, the popular courtesan Almond Blossom disappears, and then a bride who dies on her wedding night also disappears from her coffin her body replaced with that of a murdered man. To make matters worse, Judge Dee is confronted with the dangerous sect called the White Lotus.

The Chinese Nail Murders

Judge Dee and his four helpers solve the murders of an honored merchant, a kindly boxing master, and a paper merchant’s wife, whose corpse has no head. They succeed in spite of strong pressure on Judge Dee from higher ups to bring his investigation, which has temporarily generated unrest among the populace, rapidly to an end or face dismissal and serious punishment. The case of the headless corpse is based on a thirteenth century Chinese casebook; the nail murder, one of the most famous motifs in Chinese crime literature, is first described in the same text.’So scrupulously in the classic Chinese manner yet so nicely equipped with everything to satisfy the modern reader.’ New York TimesRobert Van Gulik 1910 67 was a Dutch diplomat and an authority on Chinese history and culture. He drew his plots from the whole body of Chinese literature, especially from the popular detective novels that first appeared in the seventeenth century.

The Haunted Monastery

Judge Dee and his entourage, seeking refuge from a mountain storm, become trapped in a Taoist monastery, where the Abbott Jade mysteriously dies after delivering an ecstatic sermon. The monks call it a supernatural experience, but the judge calls it murder. Recalling the allegedly accidental deaths of three young women in the same monastery, Judge Dee seeks clues in the eyes of a cat to solve cases of impersonation and murder. A painting by one of the victims reveals the truth about the killings, propelling the judge on a quest for justice and revenge.’Entertaining, instructive, and impressive.’ Times Literary Supplement

The Red Pavilion

A chance encounter with Autumn Moon, the most powerful courtesan on Paradise Island, leads Judge Dee to investigate three deaths. Although he finally teases the true story from a tangled history of passion and betrayal, Dee is saddened by the perversion, corruption, and waste of the world ‘of flowers and willows’ that thrives on prostitution.

The Chinese Maze Murders

Poisoned plums, a cryptic scroll picture, passionate love letters, and a hidden murderer with a penchant for torturing and killing women lead Judge Dee to the heart of the Governor’s garden maze and the answers to three interwoven mysteries. The Chinese Maze Murders represents Robert van Gulik s first venture into writing suspense novels after the success of Dee Gong An, his translation of an anonymous Chinese detective novel from the sixteenth century.

The Lacquer Screen

Early in his career, Judge Dee visits a senior magistrate who shows him a beautiful lacquer screen on which a scene of lovers has been mysteriously altered to show the man stabbing his lover. The magistrate fears he is losing his mind and will murder his own wife. Meanwhile, a banker has inexplicably killed himself, and a lovely lady has allowed Dee’s lieutenant, Chiao Tai, to believe she is a courtesan. Dee and Chiao Tai go incognito among a gang of robbers to solve this mystery, and find the leader of the robbers is more honorable than the magistrate.’One of the most satisfyingly devious of the Judge Dee novels, with unusual historical richness in its portrayal of the China of the T’ang dynasty.’ New York Times Book Review’Even Judge Dee is baffled by Robert van Gulik’s new mysteries in The Lacquer Screen. Disguised as a petty crook, he spends a couple of precarious days in the headquarters of the underworld, hobnobbing with the robber king. Dee’s lively thieving friends furnish some vital clues to this strange and fascinating jigsaw.’ The Spectator’So scrupulously in the classic Chinese manner yet so nicely equipped with everything to satisfy the modern reader.’ New York TimesRobert Van Gulik 1910 67 was a Dutch diplomat and an authority on Chinese history and culture. He drew his plots from the whole body of Chinese literature, especially from the popular detective novels that first appeared in the seventeenth century.

The Emperor’s Pearl

It all begins on the night of the Poo yang dragonboat races in 699 A.D.: a drummer in the leading boat collapses, and the body of a beautiful young woman turns up in a deserted country mansion. There, Judge Dee tribunal magistrate, inquisitor, and public avenger steps in to investigate the murders and return order to the Tang Dynasty. In The Emperor’s Pearl, the judge discovers that these two deaths are connected by an ancient tragedy involving a near legendary treasure stolen from the Imperial Harem one hundred years earlier. The terrifying figure of the White Lady, a river goddess enshrined on a bloodstained altar, looms in the background of the investigation. Clues are few and elusive, but under the expert hand of Robert van Gulik, this mythic jigsaw puzzle assembles itself into a taut mystery. If you have not yet discovered Judge Dee and his faithful Sgt. Hoong, I envy you that initial pleasure which comes from the discovery of a great detective story. For the magistrate of Poo yang belongs in that select group of fictional detectives headed by the renowned Sherlock Holmes. Robert Kirsch, Los Angeles Times The title of this book and the book itself have much in common. Each is a jewel, a rare and precious find. Atlanta Times

The Monkey and The Tiger

The Monkey and The Tiger includes two detective stories, ‘The Morning of the Monkey’ and ‘The Night of the Tiger.’ In the first, a gibbon drops an emerald in the open gallery of Dee’s official residence, leading the judge to discover a strangely mutilated body in the woods and how it got there. In the second, Dee is traveling to the imperial capital to assume a new position when he is separated from his escort by a flood. Marooned in a large country house surrounded by fierce bandits, Dee confronts an apparition that helps him solve a mystery.

The Phantom of the Temple

Judge Dee presided over his imperial Chinese court with a unique brand of Confucian justice. A near mythic figure in China, he distinguished himself as a tribunal magistrate, inquisitor, and public avenger. Long after his death, accounts of his exploits were celebrated in Chinese folklore, and later immortalized by Robert van Gulik in his electrifying mysteries. In The Phantom of the Temple, three separate puzzles the disappearance of a wealthy merchant’s daughter, twenty missing bars of gold, and a decapitated corpse are pieced together by the clever judge to solve three murders and one complex, gruesome plot. Judge Dee belongs in that select group of fictional detectives headed by the renowned Sherlock Holmes. I assure you it is a compliment not given frivolously. Robert Kirsch, Los Angeles TimesRobert Van Gulik 1910 67 was a Dutch diplomat and an authority on Chinese history and culture. He drew his plots from the whole body of Chinese literature, especially from the popular detective novels that first appeared in the seventeenth century.

The Willow Pattern

Judge Dee has been appointed emergency governor of the plague and drought ridden Imperial City. As his guards help the city fend off a popular uprising, an aristocrat from one of the oldest families in China suffers an ‘accident’ in a deserted mansion. In The Willow Pattern, the illustrious judge uses his trademark expertise to unravel the mysteries of the nobleman, a shattered vase, and a dead bondmaid. Along the way he encounters a woman who fights with loaded sleeves, a nearly drowned courtesan, and an elaborate trap set for a murderer. Packed with suspense, violence, and romance, The Willow Pattern won t disappoint Judge Dee’s legions of loyal fans.’The China of old, in Mr. van Gulik s skilled hands, comes vividly alive again.’ Allen J. Hubin, New York Times Book Review

Murder in Canton

Brought back into print in the 1990s to wide acclaim, re designed new editions of Robert van Gulik’s Judge Dee Mysteries are now available. Written by a Dutch diplomat and scholar during the 1950s and 1960s, these lively and historically accurate mysteries have entertained a devoted following for decades. Set during the T’ang dynasty, they feature Judge Dee, a brilliant and cultured Confucian magistrate disdainful of personal luxury and corruption, who cleverly selects allies to help him navigate the royal courts, politics, and ethnic tensions in imperial China. Robert van Gulik modeled Judge Dee on a magistrate of that name who lived in the seventh century, and he drew on stories and literary conventions of Chinese mystery writing dating back to the Sung dynasty to construct his ingenious plots. Murder in Canton takes place in the year 680, as Judge Dee, recently promoted to lord chief justice, is sent incognito to Canton to investigate the disappearance of a court censor. With the help of his trusted lieutenants Chiao Tai and Tao Gan, and that of a clever blind girl who collects crickets, Dee solves a complex puzzle of political intrigue and murder through the three separate subplots ‘the vanished censor,’ ‘the Smaragdine dancer,’ and ‘the Golden Bell.’An expert on the art and erotica as well as the literature, religion, and politics of China, van Gulik also provides charming illustrations to accompany his engaging and entertaining mysteries.

Judge Dee at Work

The eight short stories in Judge Dee at Work cover a decade during which the judge served in four different provinces of the T ang Empire. From the suspected treason of a general in the Chinese army to the murder of a lonely poet in his garden pavilion, the cases here are among the most memorable in the Judge Dee series.

Necklace and Calabash

Brought back into print in the 1990s to wide acclaim, re designed new editions of Robert van Gulik’s Judge Dee Mysteries are now available. Written by a Dutch diplomat and scholar during the 1950s and 1960s, these lively and historically accurate mysteries have entertained a devoted following for decades. Set during the T’ang dynasty, they feature Judge Dee, a brilliant and cultured Confucian magistrate disdainful of personal luxury and corruption, who cleverly selects allies to help him navigate the royal courts, politics, and ethnic tensions in imperial China. Robert van Gulik modeled Judge Dee on a magistrate of that name who lived in the seventh century, and he drew on stories and literary conventions of Chinese mystery writing dating back to the Sung dynasty to construct his ingenious plots. Necklace and Calabash finds Judge Dee returning to his district of Poo yang, where the peaceful town of Riverton promises a few days’ fishing and relaxation. Yet a chance meeting with a Taoist recluse, a gruesome body fished out of the river, strange guests at the Kingfisher Inn, and a princess in distress thrust the judge into one of the most intricate and baffling mysteries of his career. An expert on the art and erotica as well as the literature, religion, and politics of China, van Gulik also provides charming illustrations to accompany his engaging and entertaining mysteries.

Poets and Murder / The Fox-Magic Murders

Master detective Judge Dee sets out to solve a puzzling double murder and discovers that complicated passions lurk beneath the seemingly tranquil landscape of academic life. A student has been murdered; a beautiful poetess is accused of whipping her maidservant to death; and further mysteries lie in the shadows of the Shrine of the Black Fox. ‘The China of old, in Mr. van Gulik’s skilled hands, comes vividly alive again.’ Allen J. Hubin, New York Times Book Review ‘If you have not yet discovered Judge Dee, I envy you that initial pleasure…
the discovery of a great detective story. For the magistrate of Poo yan belongs in that select group headed by Sherlock Holmes.’ Robert Kirsch, Los Angeles Times ‘Pleasing as a cup of jasmine tea.’ Parade of Books Robert van Gulik 1910 67, a Dutch diplomat and an authority on Chinese history and culture, drew his plots from the popular detective novels that appeared in seventeenth century China.

Sexual Life in Ancient China

An excellent study of the courtship, romance, sexual relationships and women’s destinies in Imperial China

The Lore of the Chinese Lute: An Essay on the Ideology of the Ch’in

A history both musically and culturally, of the Chinese lute

Crime and Punishment in Ancient China

Fascinating glimpse into the world of traditional Chinese judicial systems through this record of 144 criminal and court cases, judged in courts of ancient China; entertaining and informative.

Erotic Colour Prints of the Ming Period

In 1949, the sinologist Robert van Gulik purchased in a Tokyo curio shop a set of printing blocks of a Ming erotic album. Two years later the album, with an extensive treatise, was published by van Gulik himself in a 50 copy print run and sent to a small group of sinological libraries, as ‘the erotic prints and other data ought not to fall into the hands of unqualified readers’. It was to be the author’s first work on the subject, preceding his groundbreaking ‘Sexual Life in Ancient China’. Unqualified readers have now at last become qualified with this official edition. James Cahill, Wilt Idema and Soeren Edgren provide readers with introductions to its art historical, literary, biographical and book technical content.

Scrapbook for Chinese Collectors

An important monograph on Chinese painting and the Chinese view of authentication.

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