GULIK, Robert van. The Willow Pattern: A Chinese Detective Story. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons. 1965.
8vo. Original teal cloth, lettered in dark blue to spine with a small illustration to upper board, dark blue illustrated endpapers, illustrated dust jacket with printed price of $3.50 to front flap; pp. [8], 184, with 15 woodblock-style illustrations by the author; jacket lightly sunned to spine with very faint staining visible to rear, minimal wear to edges, spine tips lightly pushed, mild toning to edges of text block; an attractive copy, near fine.
First US edition, exquisitely illustrated by the author.
Drawing on the conventions of traditional Chinese detective fiction, Van Gulik weaves three apparently unrelated crimes: the death of a wealthy merchant found in his study, a gruesome discovery at the foot of a staircase, and the brutal murder of a young woman. As the investigation unfolds, Judge Dee uncovers the complex connections binding the cases together.
The character of Judge Dee is based on the historical Tang-dynasty magistrate Di Renjie (seventh century). The Willow Pattern is set during the later phase of Dee’s career when he is serving as President of the Metropolitan Court, allowing Van Gulik to explore both judicial intrigue and court politics.
First published in Dutch as a serial in De Telegraaf throughout 1964, the English and American editions followed in 1965.
Evers, p. 57.
SKU: 2122635