Russell Lee (writer)
{{short description|Singaporean author}}
{{Other people|Russell Lee}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Russell Lee
| image = Russell Lee (writer).jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption = A masked actor representing Russell Lee at a book signing.
| pseudonym = Russell Lee
| period = 1989–present
| genre = Horror, Drama, Comedy, Non-Fiction
| subject = Writing books
| notableworks = True Singapore Ghost Stories
| signature = RL_Sig.png
| website = {{URL|flameoftheforest.com}}
| portaldisp =
}}
Russell Lee is the pseudonym of the Singaporean authors of True Singapore Ghost Stories, a well-known book series of ghost stories in Singapore, Malaysia, other parts of Asia ever since the release of Book 1 in 1989.{{Cite web |last=Ho |first=Olivia |date=2021 |title=Unsung S'pore icons: Home-grown horror tales spook a new generation |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/life/unsung-spore-icons-home-grown-horror-tales-spook-a-new-generation |access-date=7 July 2022 |website=The Straits Times}}
The brand had a lasting impact on Singapore publishing. Their first release was the first of many that were published for the mass market. True Singapore Ghost Stories surpassed 30,000 copies in three months.{{Cite web |title=Flame Of The Forest - About Us |url=https://www.flameoftheforest.com/About/index.html |access-date=2022-07-20 |website=www.flameoftheforest.com}}
Despite publicly claiming to be a real person, Russell Lee never provided any photograph of himself nor revealed any information about his personal life. At book signing events for True Singapore Ghost Stories, a person claiming to be Russell Lee would always show up, wearing a mask and clothes that cover every inch of his body. Due to the improbability of not having any leaked details about his identity for decades, the universal consensus is that Russell Lee is a pseudonym, and an actor was hired to put on a mask and make public appearances for marketing purposes.{{Cite web |title=What Ever Happened to Russell Lee, the Mysterious Author of 'True Singapore Ghost Stories'? |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/what-ever-happened-to-russell-lee-the-mysterious-author-of-true-singapore-ghost-stories/ |access-date=2022-07-20 |website=Vice.com |language=en}}
True Singapore Ghost Stories
As of 2023, 28 books in the True Singapore Ghost Stories series have been released. With over 1.5 million copies sold worldwide.{{Cite web |date=2022-07-01 |title=True S'pore Ghost Stories sold at S$9.90 per book for past 33 years |url=https://thenews.sg/news/true-spore-ghost-stories-sold-at-s9-90-per-book-for-past-33-years/ |access-date=2022-07-20 |website=The News Singapore |language=en-US}}
In 2014, True Singapore Ghost Stories 25th Year Special Edition was released, where it looked back at the first 25 years of the series.
Book 27, the latest in the series, was released in 2023. The authors expressed their hope to reach Book 50.{{cite web | url=https://tnp.straitstimes.com/news/singapore-news/inspiring-chills-halloween-horror-nights | title=Inspiring chills at Halloween Horror Nights | publisher=The New Paper}}
The book series has also been made into a 13-part TV series.{{cite web | url=http://www.straitstimes.com/print/Free/Story/STIStory_132166.html | title=Fear factor | publisher=The Straits Times}}
Works
| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! colspan="3" |The Complete List ! ! |
| S/N
!Book !Year Published !Publisher !ISBN |
|---|
| 1
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories |1989 |Flame Of The Forest Publishing |{{ISBN|9810012829}} |
| 2
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 1 |1989 |Flame Of The Forest Publishing |{{ISBN|9810013469}} |
| 3
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 2 |1992 |Flame Of The Forest Publishing |{{ISBN|9810025297}} |
| 4
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 3 |1994 |Angsana Books |{{ISBN|9810052243}} |
| 5
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 4 |1994 |Angsana Books |{{ISBN|9789813056480}} |
| 6
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 5 |1995 |Angsana Books |{{ISBN|9813056967}} |
| 7
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 6 |1995 |Angsana Books |{{ISBN|9813056371}} |
| 8
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 7 |1995 |Angsana Books |{{ISBN|9789813056060}} |
| 9
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 8 |1996 |Angsana Books |{{ISBN|981305607X}} |
| 10
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 9 |1997 |Angsana Books |{{ISBN|9789813056152}} |
| 11
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 10 |1999 |Angsana Books |{{ISBN|9789813056183}} |
| 12
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 11 |2003 |Angsana Books |{{ISBN|9813056576}} |
| 13
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 12 |2004 |Angsana Books |{{ISBN|9789813056800}} |
| 14
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 13 |2005 |Angsana Books |{{ISBN|9813056983}} |
| 15
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 14 |2006 |Angsana Books |{{ISBN|9814193070}} |
| 16
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 15 |2006 |Angsana Books |{{ISBN|9789814193191}} |
| 17
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 16 |2007 |Angsana Books |{{ISBN|9789814193320}} |
| 18
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 17 |2007 |Angsana Books |{{ISBN|9789814193450}} |
| 19
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 18 |2008 |Angsana Books |{{ISBN|9789814193542}} |
| 20
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 19 |2009 |Angsana Books |{{ISBN|9789814193771}} |
| 21
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 20 |2010 |Angsana Books |{{ISBN|9789814193931}} |
| 22
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 21 |2011 |Angsana Books |{{ISBN|9789814315135}} |
| 23
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 22 |2012 |Angsana Books |{{ISBN|9789814315241}} |
| 24
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 23 |2013 |Angsana Books |{{ISBN|9789814315418}} |
| 25
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories 25th Year Special Edition |2014 |Angsana Books |{{ISBN|9789814315548}} |
| 26
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 24 |2015 |Angsana Books |{{ISBN|9789814315647}} |
| 27
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 25 |2017 |Angsana Books |{{ISBN|9789814315814}} |
| 28
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 26 |2020 |Angsana Books |{{ISBN|9789814388085}} |
| 29
|The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 27 |2023 |Angsana Books |{{ISBN|9789814388160}} |
See also
- True Singapore Ghost Stories book series
- James Lee, fellow writer under Angsana Books
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.flameoftheforest.com/Books/Russell-Lee/ True Singapore Ghost Stories] on the [https://www.flameoftheforest.com Flame Of The Forest website]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Russell}}