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Robert Van Gulik Books in Order

Find every Robert Van Gulik book in order, including standalone titles and complete series reading orders with publication years.

Updated 2026-07-11 / 31 books / 4 series

Dutch diplomat and sinologist Robert Van Gulik is best known for his Judge Dee mystery series, set in Tang-dynasty China. His works, blending historical scholarship with detective fiction, have sold millions worldwide. This page lists Robert Van Gulik’s books in order, including both chronological and series reading order.

All Robert Van Gulik Books in Chronological Order

1949 Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee / Dee Goong An POoJDMB / 1 Buy
1958 The Chinese Bell Murders POoJDMB / 2 Buy
1959 The Chinese Gold Murders POoJDMB / 3 Buy
1960 The Chinese Lake Murders POoJDMB / 4 Buy
1961 Sexual Life in Ancient China POoNB / 1 Buy
1961 The Chinese Nail Murders POoJDMB / 5 Buy
1961 The Haunted Monastery POoJDMB / 6 Buy
1961 The Red Pavilion POoJDMB / 7 Buy
1962 The Chinese Maze Murders POoJDMB / 8 Buy
1962 The Lacquer Screen POoJDMB / 9 Buy
1963 The Emperor's Pearl POoJDMB / 10 Buy
1965 The Monkey and The Tiger POoJDMB / 11 Buy
1965 The Phantom of the Temple POoJDMB / 12 Buy
1965 The Willow Pattern POoJDMB / 13 Buy
1966 Murder in Canton POoJDMB / 14 Buy
1967 Judge Dee at Work POoJDMB / 15 Buy
1967 Necklace and Calabash POoJDMB / 16 Buy
1968 Poets and Murder / The Fox-Magic Murders POoJDMB / 17 Buy
1969 The Lore of the Chinese Lute: An Essay on the Ideology of the Ch'in POoNB / 2 Buy
1979 Crime and Punishment in Ancient China POoNB / 3 Buy
1981 Chinese Pictorial Art POoNB / 4 Buy
1986 The Given Day POoSN / 1 Buy
1989 Erotic Colour Prints of the Ming Period POoNB / 5 Buy
1991 John Searle and his Critics(With: Ernest Lepore) POoNB / 6 Buy
2001 Siddham POoNB / 7 Buy
2006 Scrapbook for Chinese Collectors POoNB / 8 Buy
2012 What Every Novelist Needs to Know about Narrators(By: Wayne C. Booth) POoCSB / 1 Buy
2013 Hagfish Slime and Lobster Rolls(By: Ellen Prager) POoCSB / 2 Buy
2013 Murder in Ancient China POoCSB / 3 Buy
2013 We All Feel(By: Barbara J. King) POoCSB / 4 Buy
2014 The 2012 Campaign and the Timeline of Presidential Elections(By: Robert S. Erikson) POoCSB / 5 Buy

Robert Van Gulik Book Series Reading Orders / browse all ->

01 Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee / Dee Goong An 1949 Buy
02 The Chinese Bell Murders 1958 Buy
03 The Chinese Gold Murders 1959 Buy
04 The Chinese Lake Murders 1960 Buy
05 The Chinese Nail Murders 1961 Buy
06 The Haunted Monastery 1961 Buy
07 The Red Pavilion 1961 Buy
08 The Chinese Maze Murders 1962 Buy
09 The Lacquer Screen 1962 Buy
10 The Emperor's Pearl 1963 Buy
11 The Monkey and The Tiger 1965 Buy
12 The Phantom of the Temple 1965 Buy
13 The Willow Pattern 1965 Buy
14 Murder in Canton 1966 Buy
15 Judge Dee at Work 1967 Buy
16 Necklace and Calabash 1967 Buy
17 Poets and Murder / The Fox-Magic Murders 1968 Buy
01 Sexual Life in Ancient China 1961 Buy
02 The Lore of the Chinese Lute: An Essay on the Ideology of the Ch'in 1969 Buy
03 Crime and Punishment in Ancient China 1979 Buy
04 Chinese Pictorial Art 1981 Buy
05 Erotic Colour Prints of the Ming Period 1989 Buy
06 John Searle and his Critics(With: Ernest Lepore) 1991 Buy
07 Siddham 2001 Buy
08 Scrapbook for Chinese Collectors 2006 Buy
01 The Given Day 1986 Buy
01 What Every Novelist Needs to Know about Narrators(By: Wayne C. Booth) 2012 Buy
02 Hagfish Slime and Lobster Rolls(By: Ellen Prager) 2013 Buy
03 Murder in Ancient China 2013 Buy
04 We All Feel(By: Barbara J. King) 2013 Buy
05 The 2012 Campaign and the Timeline of Presidential Elections(By: Robert S. Erikson) 2014 Buy

Where to start with Robert Van Gulik

What is the best order to read Robert Van Gulik books?

Publication order is usually the safest place to start. If a book belongs to a series, follow the numbered series reading order shown on this page.

Are standalone books and series both included?

Yes. Standalone titles appear in the full chronological bibliography, and series are broken out separately with reading-order links when catalog data is available.

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Source note: Sequencebooks organizes author, book, and series records from its catalog data. Publication years and series order are shown when available.