Order of Book Series
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Robert Van Gulik Books in Order

27 books are credited to Robert Van Gulik, published between 1949 and 2013; 10 of them appeared after Robert Van Gulik's death in 1967. The first book is Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee / Dee Goong An (1949) and the newest is Murder in Ancient China (2013). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
27
Published
1949–2013
Pages on record
5,935 in 24 of 27 books
Reading time
99–148 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 5,935 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 24 of 27 titles with a page count on record.

See all 27 books in order Printable Robert Van Gulik checklist
Photo of Robert Van Gulik, author of the Judge Dee Mysteries series

Robert van Gulik, who lived from 1910 to 1967, was a Dutch orientalist, diplomat and guqin player, and the author of the Judge Dee historical mysteries. He took the detective from an 18th-century Chinese novel, Dee Goong An, which he translated and published in 1949 as Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee. The series that followed is set in imperial China and includes The Chinese Maze Murders (1957), The Chinese Bell Murders (1958), The Chinese Gold Murders (1959), The Haunted Monastery (1961) and The Lacquer Screen (1962). Van Gulik also wrote Sexual Life in Ancient China (1961).

How many Robert Van Gulik books are there?

Robert Van Gulik has 27 books, released between 1949 and 2013. 10 of them were published after Robert Van Gulik's death in 1967. 17 of them belong to the Judge Dee Mysteries series.

Robert Van Gulik Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 27 Robert Van Gulik books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee / Dee Goong An by Robert Van Gulik, book 1 of the Judge Dee Mysteries series (1949)
  2. Cover of The Chinese Maze Murders by Robert Van Gulik, book 2 of the Judge Dee Mysteries series (1957)
  3. Cover of The Chinese Bell Murders by Robert Van Gulik, book 3 of the Judge Dee Mysteries series (1958)
  4. Cover of The Chinese Gold Murders by Robert Van Gulik, book 4 of the Judge Dee Mysteries series (1959)
  5. Cover of The Chinese Lake Murders by Robert Van Gulik, book 5 of the Judge Dee Mysteries series (1960)
  6. Cover of The Chinese Nail Murders by Robert Van Gulik, book 6 of the Judge Dee Mysteries series (1961)
  7. Cover of The Haunted Monastery by Robert Van Gulik, book 7 of the Judge Dee Mysteries series (1961)
  8. Cover of The Red Pavilion by Robert Van Gulik, book 8 of the Judge Dee Mysteries series (1961)
  9. Cover of The Lacquer Screen by Robert Van Gulik, book 9 of the Judge Dee Mysteries series (1962)
  10. Cover of The Emperor's Pearl by Robert Van Gulik, book 10 of the Judge Dee Mysteries series (1963)
  11. Cover of The Monkey and The Tiger by Robert Van Gulik, book 11 of the Judge Dee Mysteries series (1965)
  12. Cover of The Phantom of the Temple by Robert Van Gulik, book 12 of the Judge Dee Mysteries series (1965)
  13. Cover of The Willow Pattern by Robert Van Gulik, book 13 of the Judge Dee Mysteries series (1965)
  14. Cover of Murder in Canton by Robert Van Gulik, book 14 of the Judge Dee Mysteries series (1966)
  15. Cover of Judge Dee at Work by Robert Van Gulik, book 15 of the Judge Dee Mysteries series (1967)
  16. Cover of Necklace and Calabash by Robert Van Gulik, book 16 of the Judge Dee Mysteries series (1967)
  17. Cover of Poets and Murder / The Fox-Magic Murders by Robert Van Gulik, book 17 of the Judge Dee Mysteries series (1968)
  18. Cover of The Lore of the Chinese Lute: An Essay on the Ideology of the Ch'in by Robert Van Gulik (1969)
  19. Cover of Crime and Punishment in Ancient China by Robert Van Gulik (1979)
  20. Cover of Erotic Colour Prints of the Ming Period by Robert Van Gulik (1989)
  21. Cover of John Searle and his Critics by Robert Van Gulik (1991)
  22. Cover of Siddham by Robert Van Gulik (2001)
  23. Cover of Scrapbook for Chinese Collectors by Robert Van Gulik (2006)
  1. 1
    Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee / Dee Goong AnJudge Dee Mysteries #11949 · 237 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1949237
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    The Chinese Maze MurdersJudge Dee Mysteries #21957 · 321 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1957321
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    The Chinese Bell MurdersJudge Dee Mysteries #31958 · 262 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1958262
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    The Chinese Gold MurdersJudge Dee Mysteries #41959 · 202 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1959202
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    The Chinese Lake MurdersJudge Dee Mysteries #51960 · 211 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1960211
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Sexual Life in Ancient China1961 · 392 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1961392
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    The Chinese Nail MurdersJudge Dee Mysteries #61961 · 231 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1961231
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    The Haunted MonasteryJudge Dee Mysteries #71961 · 198 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1961198
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    The Red PavilionJudge Dee Mysteries #81961 · 173 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1961173
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    The Lacquer ScreenJudge Dee Mysteries #91962 · 180 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1962180
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    The Emperor's PearlJudge Dee Mysteries #101963 · 184 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1963184
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    The Monkey and The TigerJudge Dee Mysteries #111965 · 143 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1965143
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    The Phantom of the TempleJudge Dee Mysteries #121965 · 205 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1965205
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    The Willow PatternJudge Dee Mysteries #131965 · 183 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1965183
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Murder in CantonJudge Dee Mysteries #141966 · 207 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1966207
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    Judge Dee at WorkJudge Dee Mysteries #151967 · 174 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1967174
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    Necklace and CalabashJudge Dee Mysteries #161967 · 143 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1967143
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    Poets and Murder / The Fox-Magic MurdersJudge Dee Mysteries #171968 · 184 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1968184
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    The Lore of the Chinese Lute: An Essay on the Ideology of the Ch'in1969 · 271 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1969271
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    Crime and Punishment in Ancient China1979 · 212 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1979212
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    Chinese Pictorial Art1981 · 557 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1981557
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    The Given Day1986 · confirmed 2/4
    1986–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    Erotic Colour Prints of the Ming Period1989 · 556 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1989556
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    John Searle and his Critics1991 · 405 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1991405
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    Siddham2001 · confirmed 2/4
    2001–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    Scrapbook for Chinese Collectors2006 · 104 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2006104
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    Murder in Ancient ChinaChicago Shorts #32013 · confirmed 2/4
    2013–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Robert Van Gulik books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.

Judge Dee Mysteries in order

17 books
  1. 1. Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee / Dee Goong An
  2. 2. The Chinese Maze Murders
  3. 3. The Chinese Bell Murders
  4. 4. The Chinese Gold Murders
  5. 5. The Chinese Lake Murders
  6. 6. The Chinese Nail Murders
  7. 7. The Haunted Monastery
  8. 8. The Red Pavilion
  9. 9. The Lacquer Screen
  10. 10. The Emperor's Pearl
  11. 11. The Monkey and The Tiger
  12. 12. The Phantom of the Temple
  13. and 5 more in the table above

Chicago Shorts in order

1 book
  1. 3. Murder in Ancient China

Standalone books

9 books

9 Robert Van Gulik titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Robert Van Gulik books in order?

You only need to read Robert Van Gulik books in order within the Judge Dee Mysteries series, which holds 17 of the 27 Robert Van Gulik books listed here. The numbered table above gives every book in publication order.

Where to start with Robert Van Gulik

Start with Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee / Dee Goong An (1949), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Robert Van Gulik book?

Murder in Ancient China (2013) is the newest Robert Van Gulik book released so far.

Is there a new Robert Van Gulik book coming?

No next Robert Van Gulik book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Robert Van Gulik at a glance

Died
Robert Van Gulik died in 1967, according to Wikidata.
After death
Books credited to Robert Van Gulik are still being published after Robert Van Gulik's death in 1967; the newest appeared in 2013.
Release pace
Robert Van Gulik books have appeared about one every 3 years on average.
Length
5,935 pages across the 24 of 27 books with a recorded length, a median of 206 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Robert Van Gulik books, 15 of 27, were published in the 1960s.

What the Robert Van Gulik books are about

23 of the 27 Robert Van Gulik books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: history is tagged on 16 of 23. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.