An Annotated Bibliography
of Sax Rohmer’s First Editions
Last updated 10 September 2005
Note: Books published with different American and British titles are grouped together.
In cases where the true first edition was a paperback, both the paperback and first
hardcover are listed. As time permits, we are attempting to list all known
editions. If you have an edition which is not listed, please let us know.
Pause! Anonymous. London: Greening & Co., Ltd,
1910.
Published anonymously, Pause! was based on ideas Sax Rohmer was given by
George Robey, a performer Rohmer has written songs for. It was Robey who introduced Rohmer
to the Egyptian Book of the Dead. The "Bibliographica Rohmeriana" in The
Rohmer Review No. 8 reports that W. O. G. Lofts examined the copy in the British
Museum Library. "The book is bound in shiny paper covers, with the title in Red
letters and a design consisting of a photo of the palm of a man's hand against a black
background." (p. 26)
The contents are not just "essays" (though I probably said that at some
point in the past)---there are a few plain essays, but other items are inspirational
quasi-sermons, dramatic monologues ("Quetzalcoatl"), prose sketches, and
fantasy/horror short stories ("Sebek-Ra" and "The Bronze Mirror").
Hitting all the bases, "Tumuli and Roses" even includes an untitled poem,
supposedly a translation from the Italian but almost certainly Rohmer's own work. It is
also worth noting that the Preface is dated "Herne Hill, February 13,
1910"---Herne Hill was where the Rohmers were living at the time, so this serves as
built-in evidence of Rohmer's connection with the book. -- R. E. Briney (Email,
March 12, 1998)
Little Tich: A Book of Travels (and Wanderings).
London: Greening & Co., Ltd, 1911.
Little Tich (Harry
Relph) was a very popular entertainer at the turn of the century. Sax Rohmer had written
some material for him and when the publisher of Pause asked him to "edit"
(actually ghostwrite) Relph's autobiography, he agreed.
Cover, photograph, title page, contents, and the text of chapter
16--"My Impression of the Great Pyramid
The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu. London: Methuen,
June, 1913.
The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu. New York: McBride, Nast, September, 1913.
The first book with Arthur Sarsfield Ward's pseudonym, "Sax Rohmer," and
the first of many Fu Manchu novels. Over his lifetime, Rohmer gave various accounts of how
a mysterious "Mr. King" inspired Dr.
Fu-Manchu; they are available here.
The Sins of Severac Bablon. London: Cassell, 1914;
New York: Bookfinger, 1967.
A series of connected short stories first published in Cassell's Magazine June 1912
through January 1913, with an extra episode in August 1913. Rohmer is said to have
characterized the series as "a story of a Jewish Robin Hood." Cay Van Ash
(Master of Villainy 82)
Covers and other editions
The Romance of Sorcery. London: Methuen, 1914; New
York: E. P. Dutton, 1915.
A non-fiction work which treats occultism seriously and contains biographies of some
of the more famous practioners from Nostrodamus
to Madame Blavatsky. Harry Houdini wrote a letter to
Rohmer complimenting him on the book and they later became close
friends.
The Romance of Sorcery (Abridged edition). London: Methuen, 1923; New
York: E. P. Dutton, 1924.
The Yellow Claw. New York: McBride, Nast, 1915;
London: Methuen, 1915.
Featuring Fu Manchu’s prototype, "Mr. King,"
it was also released as a Stoll Production Company movie in 1921 – the first movie
based on Rohmer’s work.
The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu. New York: McBride,
February 1916.
The Devil Doctor. London: Methuen, March 2, 1916.
Written for magazine publication from the Fall of 1914 though 1915, Rohmer chose to
leave the World War out of the stories lest their escapist value be diminished.
The Exploits of Captain O'Hagan. London:
Jarrolds, 1916; New York: Bookfinger, 1968.
10:30 Folkestone Express. London: Lloyd's Home Novels. No.
41, undated. ca. 1916-1920.
This title was first reported in "Bibliographica Rohmeriana" in the ninth
issue of The Rohmer Review in 1972. Derek Adley and W.O. G. Lofts found the title
listed in the publisher's advertisement in a companion volume. It has since been listed in various
bibliographies and is included here. Upon its discovery in 1972, R. E. Briney noted that "This particular
volume is missing from the British Museum's file of the Lloyd's Novels, so it has not been
possible to examine an actual copy of the book."
To date, we remain unaware of anyone who has actually examined a copy. Other
titles in the Lloyd's Home Novels series were, indeed, novels. Was this an expanded
version of the short story, "The Ten-Thirty Folkstone Express," which appeared
in Lippincott's Magazine in December, 1914? Or was it a collection of short
stories which featured "The Ten-Thirty Folkstone Express"?
Any clarification or information would be much appreciated.
The Si-Fan Mysteries. London: Methuen, 1917.
The Hand of Fu-Manchu. New York: McBride. 1917.
Brood of the Witch Queen. London: C. Arthur Pearson.
1918; New York: Doubleday, 1924.
H. P. Lovecraft thought rather highly of this book. In Supernatural Horror
in Literature (New York: Abramson, 1945), Lovecraft noted: "Dracula
evoked many similar novels of supernatural horror, among which the best are perhaps The
Beetle, by Richard Marsh, Brood of the Witch-Queen, by "Sax Rohmer" (Arthur
Sarsfield Ward), and The Door of the Unreal, by Gerald Bliss." In a letter Lovecraft
also notes that he read Rohmer's Romance of Sorcery (Selected Letters,
Vol. 5).
Oddly enough, some portions of this book are actually autobiographical. The "Bats
of Meydūm" section which describes a trip on donkeys to the Pyramid at Meydūm and a
frightening descent to the "King's Chamber" is based largely on the Rohmers'
experiences on a honeymoon trip to the Pyramid
at Meydūm in 1913 that was financed by the success of The Mystery of Dr.
Fu-Manchu. Rex Engelbach, who later became curator of the Cairo Museum, personally
escorted the Rohmers, on donkeyback, to the nearly inaccessible pyramid and down its
interior shafts to the burial chamber. He later told them that Elizabeth was the first
woman to have crawled through the rubble and up into the actual chamber. The episode is
recorded in "The False Pyramid," Chapter 12 of Master of
Villainy, Rohmer's biography: "It was like crawling down a drain. The
foul-smelling passage was so low that it was not even possible to employ one's knees--one
had to just wriggle along it, literally like a snake" (92).
The experience was used again in the second of the Tales of Abū Tabāh,
"The Death-Ring of Sneferu," when Neville Kernaby makes the descent.
Tales of Secret Egypt. London: Methuen,
August, 1918 (312 pages); New York: McBride. 1919.
The Methuen 2nd through 8th editions were 240 pages and omitted three stories:
"Lure of Souls," "The Secret of Ismail" and "Harūn Pasha."
For fun, a rebound McKinlay, Stone & Mackenzie
version misspelled the author's name.
Contents:
Tales of Abu Tabah:
The Yashmak of Pearls
The Death-Ring of Sneferu
The Lady of the Lattice
Omar of Ispahan
Breath of Allah
The Whispering Mummy
Other Tales:
Lord of the Jackals
Lure of Souls
The Secret of Ismail
Harūn Pasha
In the Valley of the Sorceress
Pomegranate Flower
The Orchard of Tears. London: Methuen, October 24,
1918; New York: Bookfinger, 1970.
"A theosophical novel
. . . expounding his ideas of a religion based on the esoteric truths concealed in the
world's rival faiths." Cay Van Ash (Master of Villainy 110)
The Quest of the Sacred Slipper. London: C. Arthur
Pearson. 1919; New York: Doubleday, 1919.
Dope: A Story of Chinatown and the Drug Traffic.
London:
Cassell, 1919.
Dope: A Tale of the Drug Traffic. New York: McBride, 1919.
This novel may have been prompted in part by the death of Billie Carleton, a London
showgirl, who performed in the Armistice Victory Celebration at Albert Hall and died in
her hotel room later that night of an overdose -- presumably opium obtained in Limehouse. The incident
led to an official five year long investigation of Chinatown's drug traffic and a new
novel from Sax Rohmer which the dustjacket proclaimed to be "based upon actual
conditions as they existed in London." See INDIAN HEMP
AND THE DOPE FIENDS OF OLD ENGLAND: A sociopolitical history of cannabis and the
British Empire 1840-1928 for a full discussion.
"In a letter to the LONDON OPINION dated January 22,
1919 (and reproduced in THE ROHMER REVIEW #9, August 1972),
Rohmer explicitly denies that DOPE was based on the Carleton case. He claims the story was
'on the stocks' before the case became public. He would have to be referring to the
magazine publication, which began in the March 1919 issue of THE NEW MAGAZINE (which would
have been on sale by mid-January). The Prefatory Note (dated June 1919) in the British
book editions, also disclaims the connection with the Carleton case. Of course, it may
well be that the author 'doth protest too much.'" (Robert E. Briney March 12, 1998)
Dope was also adapted and drawn as a comic by Trina Robbins.
The Golden Scorpion. London: Methuen, 1919; New
York: McBride. 1920.
The Golden Scorpion linked the story lines developed in The Yellow Claw with Dr. Fu
Manchu who appears but is not named. "He wore a plain yellow robe and had a
little black cap on his head. His face, his wonderful evil face I can never forget, and
his eyes -- I fear you will think I exaggerate -- but his eyes were green as
emeralds!"
The Dream Detective. London: Jarrolds, 1920; New
York: Doubleday, 1925.
The "Dream Detective" was Moris Klaw. "In the early years of this
century, when he was active in London, Moris Klaw was regarded as something of a magician.
Nowadays, we would call him an exponent of ESP. He believed the universe to be pervaded by
a kind of force-field upon which human emotions, if sufficiently intense, might be
recorded, as though upon magnetic tape, and retrieved by those who knew how. This,
incidentally, was no figment of the author’s vivid imagination but the theory of
Baron von Reichenbach, a sober 19th century scientist, who proposed the
existence of such a force...." 100 Great Detectives. New York: Carroll &
Graf, 1991, page 121.
The Tragedies in the Greek Room
The Potsherd of Anubis
The Crusader’s Ax
The Ivory Statue
The Blue Rajah
The Whispering Poplars
The Headless Mummies
The Haunting of Grange
The Veil of Isis
The Chord in G (missing in most British editions)
The Green Eyes of Bast. London: Cassell, 1920; New
York: McBride, 1920.
The Haunting of Low Fennel. London: C. Arthur
Pearson. 1920.
The Haunting of Low Fennel
The Valley of the Just
The Blue Monkey
The Riddle of Ragstaff
The Master of Hollow Grange
The Curse of a Thousand Kisses
The Turquoise Necklace
Bat-Wing. London: Cassell, 1921;
Bat Wing. New York, Doubleday, 1921.
Fire-Tongue. London: Cassell, 1921; New York,
Doubleday, 1922.
Rohmer decided to describe a seemingly impossible murder and then solve it as he
continued to write. By the end of the third chapter, he realized he had left no room for a
solution and gave up. Meanwhile his agent had sold the story to Collier's for
serialization and the first chapter had already been printed. Sax travelled to New York
and holed up in a hotel to try and find a solution. He kept writing but could think of no
way out. Unbelievably, he was visited by Harry Houdini who had underlined one sentence and
told Rohmer how to explain the murder. The all important sentence is in chapter 3.
Tales of Chinatown. London: Cassell, 1922; New
York, Doubleday, 1922.
The Daughter of Huang Chow
Kerry’s Kid
The Pigtail of Hi Wing Ho
The House of the Golden Joss
The Man with the Shaven Skull
The White Hat
Tcheriapin
The Dance of the Veils
The Hand of the Mandarin Quong
The Key of the Temple of Heaven
Grey Face. London: Cassell, 1924; New York,
Doubleday, 1924.
This story proved to be not only a commercial success but, from the literary point of
view,quite outstanding. Readers in the mid-1920's liked plots that were complex, and that
of Grey Face is so intricate that it requires the closest attention to follow it. As an
example of fashions in popular literature during that period, I consider it one of the
finest things written -- Cay Van Ash (Master of Villainy 154)
Yellow Shadows. London: Cassell, 1925; New York,
Doubleday, 1926.
Moon of Madness. New York, Doubleday, 1927; London:
Cassell, 1927.
She Who Sleeps. New York, Doubleday, 1928; London:
Cassell, 1928.
The Emperor of America. New York, The Crime Club,
1929; London: Cassell, 1929.
The Book of Fu-Manchu. London: Hurst &
Blackett, 1929.
Three novel British omnibus edition containing The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu, The
Devil Doctor, and The Si-Fan Mysteries.
The Book of Fu-Manchu. New York: McBride, 1929.
Four novel American omnibus edition containing The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu, The
Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu, The Hand of Fu-Manchu, and The Golden Scorpion.
The Day the World Ended. New York, The Crime
Club, 1930; London: Cassell, 1930;Toronto, Canada: The Crime Club, 1930).
Daughter of Fu Manchu. New York, The Crime Club,
1931; London: Cassell, 1931.
Yu’an Hee See Laughs. New York, The Crime Club,
1932; London: Cassell, 1932.
Tales of East and West. London: Cassell, 1932.
Tales of the East:
The Black Mandarin
Father of Thieves
The Turkish Yataghan
Spirit of the Black Hawk
Fires of Baal
Tales of the West:
Mark of the Monkey
The Squirrel Man
The Cardinal’s Stair
Torture
The M’Villin
The Mask of Fu Manchu. New York, The Crime Club,
1932; London: Cassell, 1933.
Tales of East and West. New York, The Crime Club,
1933.
Tales of the East:
The Black Mandarin
The Valley of the Just
The Turquise Necklace
The Curse of a Thousand Kisses
Spirit of the Black Hawk
The Turkish Yataghan
Light of Atlantis
Tales of the West:
The Haunting of Low Fennel
At the Palace da Nostra
The Master of Hollow Grange
The Cardinal’s Stair
The Riddle of Ragstaff
Torture
Fu Manchu’s Bride. New York, The Crime Club,
1933.
The Bride of Fu Manchu. London: Cassell, 1933.
The Trail of Fu Manchu. New York, The Crime Club,
1934; London: Cassell, 1934.
The final chapter, "A Lacquer Cabinet" is missing in the Pyramid paperback.
(Tim Lucas first called this to my attention.)
"Note that this chapter is missing ONLY from the U.S. Pyramid paperback reprints;
it is present in all other hardcover and paperback editions that I have seen, including
the 1985 Zebra Books reprint." -- Robert E. Briney (March 16, 1998)
The Bat Flies Low. New York, The Crime Club,
1935; London: Cassell, 1935.
President Fu Manchu. New York, The Crime Club,
1936; London: Cassell, 1936.
"It was a three-cent Daniel Webster stamp, dated 1932, gummed upside
down upon a piece of cardboard, then framed by the paper in which a pear-shaped opening
had been cut. The effect, when the frame was dropped over the stamp, was singular to
a degree.
It produced a hideous Chinese face!"
White Velvet. New York, Doubleday, 1936; London:
Cassell, 1936.
Originally intended as a screen play with Marlene Dietrich in mind, White Velvet was a
successful and controversial novel. It was also a radio serial on the B.B.C.
Dustjacket and additional background.
The Golden Scorpian Omnibus. New York: Grosset
& Dunlap, 1938.
Contains two novels: The Golden Scorpion and Dope. The
dustjacket.
The Sax Rohmer Omnibus. New York: Grosset &
Dunlap, 1938.
Contains two novels: The Yellow Claw and Tales of Secret Egypt.
Salute to Bazarada and Other Stories. London:
Cassell, 1939.
"To My Friend Harry Houdini: Stone walls do not a prison make Nor iron bars a
cage."
Contains the thirty chapter Salute to Bazarada as well as five additional stories, the
first three of which are "Investigations of Paul Harley."
The Treasure Chest Murders
Death of Boris Korsakov
Skull Face
Sheba's Love Pearls
Limehouse Rhapsody
The Drums of Fu Manchu. New York, The Crime Club,
1939; London: Cassell, 1939.
Dustjacket of the 1940 Sun Dial Press edition.
The Island of Fu Manchu. New York, The Crime Club,
1941; London: Cassell, 1941.
Dustjacket from The Crime Club edition
This novel originally ran as a serial in Liberty magazine from November 16, 1940 to
February 1, 1941. The first installment had a beautiful portrait of Fu Manchu by Arnold
Freberg on the cover.
The British and US hardcover texts seem to be almost the same, allowing for the
expected differences in spelling and punctuation. The U.S. text (and the magazine
serial) has references to "the Finnish campaign" and "the agony of
Finland," while the British text substitutes "Greek campaign" and "the
struggle in Greece." I wonder which was Rohmer's original choice . . . .
Seven Sins. New York: McBride, 1943; London:
Cassell, 1944.
Cover
Egyptian Nights. London: Robert Hale, 1944.
Cover.
Bim-Bashi Baruk of Egypt. New York: McBride,
1944.
Egyptian Nights and Bim-Bashi Baruk of Egypt are the same material
presented as a novel in Egyptian Nights and short stories in Bim-Bashi Baruk of
Egypt.
Both of the Sax Rohmer entries in the Quintessential Quotations: Author
Index are from Bim-Bashi and are listed under Misfortunes and Obstacles..
"Happy is he who leaves obstacles to the less fortunate." - Sax Rohmer, Bimbashi
Baruk of Egypt, p. 50
"He who knows the camel knows the worst." - Sax Rohmer, Bimbashi Baruk
of Egypt, p. 48
Cover
Mystery Strikes at Ragstaff Hill
The Bimbashi Meets Up with A 14
Murder Strikes at Lychgate
The Laughing Buddha Finds a Purchaser
Warning from Rose of the Desert
Lotus Yuan Lases Her Vanity Case
The Scarab of Lapis Lazuli
Vengeance at the Lily Pool
Adventure in the Libyan Desert
Pool-o’-the-Moon Sees Bimbashi Baruk
Shadow of Fu Manchu. New York, The Crime Club,
1948; London: Herbert Jenkins, 1949.
Hangover House. New York, Random House, 1949;
London: Herbert Jenkins, 1950.
Hangover House was based on a play, "The Body's Upstairs," written in
collaboration with his wife. It was based, in part, on a New Years party hosted by the
Rohmers.
Nude in Mink. New York: Fawcett Gold Medal, 1950.
Sins of Sumuru. London: Herbert Jenkins, 1950; New York: Bookfinger, 1977.
Based on an eight episode B.B.C. radio serial, this is the first of the
five Sumuru novels.
Covers, serial publication and other editions.
Wulfheim. Writing as "Michael Furey."
London: Jarrolds, 1950; New York: Bookfinger, 1972.
An occult novel based on a play Rohmer wrote in 1926 which was never published or
produced.
"Furey" was his mother's maiden name. It is also possible that he chose
"Michael" because of the character "Michael Furey" in James Joyce's
story, "The Dead,"
published in Dubliners (1914).
Sumuru. New York: Fawcett Gold Medal, 1951.
Slaves of Sumuru. London: Herbert Jenkins, 1952; New York: Bookfinger, 1979.
The British and U. S. editions end differently. In the U. S. edition, the hero, Drake
oscoe, succumbs and joins Sumuru; in the British edition he remains steadfast.
Covers, serial publication and other editions.
The Fire Goddess. New York: Fawcett Gold
Medal, 1952.
Virgin In Flames. London: Herbert Jenkins,
1953; New York: Bookfinger, 1978.
The Moon is Red. London: Herbert Jenkins, 1954;
New York: Bookfinger, 1976.
Covers and other editions.
Return of Sumuru. New York: Fawcett Gold Medal, 1954.
Sand and Satin. London: Herbert Jenkins, 1955; New York: Bookfinger, 1978.
Sinister Madonna. London: Herbert Jenkins, 1956;
New York: Fawcett Gold Medal, 1950 ; New York: Bookfinger, 1977.
Re-Enter Fu Manchu. Greenwich, Conn.: Fawcett,
1957 (paperback original).
Re-Enter Dr. Fu Manchu. London: Herbert Jenkins, 1957.
Emperor Fu Manchu. London: Herbert Jenkins, 1959
; Greenwich, Conn.: Fawcett, 1959 (paperback original).
The Secret of Holm Peel and Other Strange Stories.
New York: Ace Books, 1970 (paperback).
The Secret of Holm Peel
The Owl Hoots Twice
A House Possessed
The Eyes of Fu Manchu
The Mystery of the Marsh Hole
Bazarada
For Love of Mistress Mary
Brother Wing Commanders
The Wrath of Fu Manchu and Other Stories.
Introduction by Robert E. Briney. London: Tom Stacey Reprints, 1973; New York: DAW Books,
1976 Revised Introduction. (paperback).
The Wrath of Fu Manchu
The Eyes of Fu Manchu
The Word of Fu Manchu
The Mind of Fu Manchu
Nightmare House
The Leopard-Couch
The Mystery of the Fabulous Lamp
A Date at Shepheard’s
The Mark of Maat
The Treasure of Taia
Crime Takes a Cruise
A House Possessed
1983 Sax Rohmer's Collected Novels. Secaucus, NJ:
Castle.
Includes "The Hand of Fu Manchu," The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu," "The
Yellow Claw," and "Dope."
A collection "celebrating the centennial of Sax Rohmer's birth." He was born
February 15, 1883.
1996 The Fu Manchu Omnibus. Volume 1. London: Allison
& Busby. The first three British titles: The Mystery of Fu Manchu, The Devil
Doctor & Si-Fan Mysteries.
1997 The Fu Manchu Omnibus. Volume 2. London: Allison
& Busby. The next three British titles: The Daughter of Fu Manchu, The Mask
of Fu Manchu & The Bride of Fu Manchu.
1998 The Fu Manchu Omnibus. Volume 3. London: Allison
& Busby. The next three British titles: The Trail of Fu Manchu, President Fu
Manchu & Re-Enter Fu Manchu.
The dustjacket & details. This volume breaks the actual
sequence of the novels by skipping the "Drums," "Island" and
"Shadow" titles.
1999 The Fu Manchu Omnibus. Volume 4. London: Allison & Busby.
The Drums of Fu Manchu, Shadow of Fu Manchu, Emperor Fu Manchu.
2004 Strange Tales of Sax Rohmer: Classic Tales of
Mystery and Intrigue. Middletown, Virginia, USA: Wildcat Books.
"The Mysterious Mummy," The Green Eyes of Bast,
and Batwing. 482 pages, 6.0 x 9.0 in. (Trade Paperback)
This bibliography of first editions, by definition, does not include the many, many
reprints. The most common reprints were those published by A. L. Burt (which generally
were cheaper reproductions of the originals), the "Masterpieces
of Oriental Mystery" editions published by McKinlay, Stone & Mackenzie (blue
hardcovers with Chinese characters imprinted on the front) and the Collier "Orient Editions" (black hardcovers with titles and spider
illustrations on the spine in gold). The Bookfinger editions
are reproductions of British titles and are American hardcover first editions (black with
gold print, no dustjackets).
This list is primarily based on three collections: my own, William
MacPherson's and Associate Editor, Robert E. Briney's. It also incorporates
bibliographic information from a wide variety of sources such as Bradford Day's
"Bibliography of Adventure,"
Cay Van Ash and Elizabeth Sax Rohmer's Master of Villainy (edited by Robert E. Briney), and the eighteen issues of the "Rohmer Review" -- particularly the
"Bibliographica
Rohmeriana." Finally it continues to grow thanks to
correspondence
from many other contributors.
Corrections and additions are encouraged.
Lawrence Knapp
lawrenceknapp@comcast.net
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