Robert van Gulik
SET OF 16 FIRST EDITIONS IN DUST WRAPPERS
Only lacking the rare...Dee Goong An Toppan 1949
Price U.S.$3,250
    
Gulik, Robert Van. The Chinese Maze Murders. A Chinese detective story suggested by three original ancient Chinese plots.
Published: W Van Hoeve Ltd The Hague and Bandung 1956
Edition: First Edition.
Binding: Hardback with Dust jacket.
8vo., First Edition, original red lettered black cloth in its pictorial orange dust jacket, small chips to corers & edges & half inch tear to front cover top edge of dust wrapper, pp. xiii + 322, pictorial endpapers, illustrate with nineteen plates drawn by the author in Chinese style, a very good copy.
The Chinese Maze Murders is a detective novel written by Robert van Gulik and set in Imperial China (roughly speaking the Tang Dynasty). It is a fiction based on the real character of Judge Dee (Ti Jen-chieh or Di Renjie), a magistrate and statesman of the Tang court, who lived roughly 630–700.
This was the first of the fictional mystery stories written by Robert van Gulik. It was based on three actual cases from Chinese criminal investigations. The author, having written the story in English, had it translated by a Japanese friend (Professor Ogaeri Yukio) into Japanese and it was sold in Japan under the title "Meiro-no-satsujin" in 1951. Then the author translated the book into Chinese himself and it was published by the Nanyang Press in Singapore in 1953. Finally Van Gulik published the English language version in 1957. (See Forward to Chinese Maze Murders pgs. V-VI).
The three mysteries: "The Case of the Sealed Room", "The Case of the Hidden Testament", and "The Case of the Girl with the Severed Head" are all based on actual Chinese murder casebooks. The book contains a postscript by the author on the Chinese Imperial Justice system (something that Van Gulik was an expert on).
Plot introduction
Judge Dee is the magistrate in the fictional border town of Lan-fang. He confronts three mysteries involving poisoned plums, a mysterious scroll picture, passionate love letters, a hidden murder, and a ruthless robber. These are all somehow linked to the Governor's garden maze.
Lan-fang was the setting for another Judge Dee novel, The Phantom of the Temple and two short stories from Judge Dee at Work.
Agatha Christie wrote of Robert van Gulik's The Chinese Maze Murders ' I enjoyed the book immensely. The whole thing has great charm and freshness and I hope it will have great success'
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Gulik, Robert Van. The Chinese Bell Murders. Three Cases Solved by Judge Dee. A Chinese detective story suggested by three original ancient Chinese plots.
Published: London Michael 1958
Edition: First Edition.
Binding: Hardback with Dust jacket.
8vo., First Edition, original maroon cloth, gilt lettered spine, in its blue pictorial dust wrapper with small chips to corners & edges, pp. 288, pictorial endpapers, illustrated with fifteen plates drawn by the author in Chinese style, offsetting to pictorial endpapers from d/w?, a very good copy.
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Gulik, Robert Van. The Chinese Gold Murders. A Chinese Detective Story.
Published: London Michael Joseph 1959
Edition: First Edition.
Binding: Hardback with Dust jacket.
8vo., First Edition, original orange cloth, gilt lettered spine in its blue pictorial dust wrapper, worn & torn with small loss to corners & edges, tears along folds, pp. 222, pictorial endpapers, illustrated with ten plates drawn by the author in Chinese style, apart from wear to d/w a very good copy.
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Gulik, Robert Van. The Chinese Lake Murders. Three Cases Solved by Judge Dee. A Chinese detective story suggested by three original ancient Chinese plots.
Published: London Michael Joseph 1960
Edition: First Edition.
Binding: Hardback with Dust jacket.
8vo., First Edition, original dark blue cloth, gilt lettered spine, in its green pictorial dust wrapper, pp. 270, illustrated with twelve plates drawn by the author in Chinese style, pictorial endpapers, offsetting to endpapers & a few spots to prelims, small booksellers label on front free endpaper, a very good copy.
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Gulik, Robert Van. The Chinese Nail Murders. Judge Dee's Last Three Cases. A Chinese detective story suggested by three original ancient Chinese plots.
Published: London Michael Joseph 1961
Edition: First Edition.
Binding: Hardback with Dust jacket.
8vo., First Edition, original bright orange cloth, gilt lettered spine, in its crimson pictorial dust wrapper with slight wear to corners & edges, pp. 216, pictorial endpapers, illustrated with eight plates drawn by the author in Chinese style, a very good copy.
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Gulik, Robert Van. The Emperor's Pearl. A Chinese Detective Story.
Published: Heinemann: London 1963
Edition: First Edition.
Binding: Hardback with Dust jacket.
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8vo., First Edition, original dark blue cloth, gilt lettered spine, in its price-clipped grey pictorial dust wrapper, pp. 184, illustrated with eight plates drawn by the author in Chinese style, pictorial endpapers, a very good copy.
Postscript: Judge Dee was a historical person, a famous statesman of the Tang dynasty, who lived from 630 to 700 A.D. During the first half of his career, when he was serving as magistrate in various districts, he solved a great many mysterious crimes. Even today, therefore, Judge dee is remembered by the Chinese people as their master-detective, his name being as familiar to them as Sherlock Holmes is to us. The adventures related here, however, are entirely fictitious.
Note that in Judge Dee's time the Chinese did not wear pigtails; that custom was imposed on them after 1644 A.D., when the Manchus had conquered China. The men did their hair up in a top-knot, and wore caps both inside and outside the house. They did not smoke; tobacco and opium were introduced into China only many centuries later.
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Gulik, Robert Van. The Haunted Monastery. A Chinese Detective Story.
Published: Heinemann London 1963
Edition: First Edition.
Binding: Hardback with Dust jacket.
8vo., First Edition, original purple cloth, gilt lettered spine, in its orange pictorial dust wrapper, half inch closed tear to lower dust wrapper, pp. 160, pictorial endpapers, illustrated with eight plates drawn by the author in Chinese style, a very good copy.
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Gulik, Robert Van. The Lacquer Screen. A Chinese Detective Story.
Published: Heinemann: London 1964
Edition: First Edition.
Binding: Hardback with Dust jacket.
8vo., First Edition, original purple cloth, gilt lettered spine, in its blue pictorial dust wrapper, minor wear and spotting, pp. 181, pictorial endpapers, illustrated with ten plates drawn by the author in Chinese style, spotting to edges, a very good copy.
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Gulik, Robert Van. The Red Pavilion. A Chinese Detective Story.
Published: Heinemann: London 1964
Edition: First Edition.
Binding: Hardback with Dust jacket.
8vo., First Edition, original dark blue cloth, gilt lettered spine, in its red pictorial dust wrapper, small tear to centre spine & top edge, pp. 173, pictorial endpapers, illustrated with six plates drawn by the author in Chinese style, a very good copy.
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Gulik, Robert Van. The Willow Pattern. A Chinese Detective Story.
Published: Heinemann: London 1965
Edition: First Edition.
Binding: Hardback with Dust jacket
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8vo., First Edition, original purple cloth, gilt lettered spine, in its blue pictorial dust wrapper, small chips to corners and edges, pictorial endpapers, pp. 184, illustrated with fifteen plates drawn by the author in Chinese style, small number "20" stamped on top and bottom edges, a very good copy.
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Gulik, Robert Van. The Monkey and the Tiger. Two Chinese Detective Stories.
Published: Heinemann: London 1965
Edition: First Edition.
Binding: Hardback with Dust jacket.
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8vo., First Edition, original black/grey cloth, Boots booklovers library stamp on upper cover, spine gilt lettered, in its mulberry pictorial dust wrapper, pp. 144, small chips to corners & edges, pictorial endpapers, illustrated with eight plates drawn by the author in Chinese style, a very good copy.
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Gulik, Robert Van. The Phantom of the Temple. A Chinese Detective Story.
Published: Heinemann: London 1966
Edition: First Edition.
Binding: Hardback with Dust jacket.
8vo., First Edition, original dark blue cloth, gilt lettered spine, in its black pictorial dust wrapper, chipped and worn at corners & edges, pp. 203, pictorial endpapers, illustrated with nine plates drawn by the author in Chinese style, a very good copy.
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Gulik, Robert Van. Murder in Canton. A Chinese Detective Story.
Published: Heinemann: London 1966
Edition: First Edition.
Binding: Hardback with Dust jacket.
8vo., First Edition, original purple cloth, gilt lettered spine, in its mauve pictorial dust wrapper, chipped and worn with small loss to edges and spine, pp. 208, pictorial endpapers, illustrated with twelve plates drawn by the author in Chinese style, spotting to edges, a good copy.
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Gulik, Robert Van. Judge Dee at Work. Eight Chinese Detective Stories.
Published: Heinemann: London 1967
Edition: First Edition.
Binding: Hardback with Dust jacket.
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8vo., First Edition, original black cloth, gilt lettered spine, in its grey pictorial dust wrapper, chipped at corners & edges, and two small holes in front cover, pictorial endpapers, pp. 174 plus 4 pages of Judge Dee Chronology, with illustrations drawn by the author in Chinese style, "William Heinemann Ltd The Windmill Press" stamped on front and rear endpapers, a very good copy.
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Gulik, Robert Van. Necklace and Calabash. A Chinese Detective Story.
Published: Heinemann: London 1966
Edition: First Edition.
Binding: Hardback with Dust jacket.
8vo., First Edition, original bright red cloth, gilt lettered spine, in its black pictorial dust wrapper, chipped at corners and edges, pictorial endpapers, pp. 143, illustrated with eight plates drawn by the author in Chinese style, a very good copy.
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Gulik, Robert Van. Poets and Murder. A Chinese Detective Story.
Published: Heinemann: London 1968
Edition: First Edition.
Binding: Hardback with Dust jacket.
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8vo., First Edition, original black cloth, gilt lettered spine, in its black pictorial dust wrapper, chipped at corners and edges with two small closed tears, pictorial endpapers, pp. 174, illustrated with eight plates drawn by the author in Chinese style, a very good copy.
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