Lin Yutang books in order
Chinese inventor, novelist and philosopher
- Lived
- 1895–1976
- Country
- China
- Books
- 33
Lin Yutang published 9 novels, 1 short story collection, 14 non-fiction books, 1 children's book, 1 poetry collection and 7 other books, beginning with The Importance of Living (1937). The best-known is Famous Chinese Short Stories (1967).
Updated September 2026
Where to start with Lin Yutang
Start here
Famous Chinese Short Stories
Lin Yutang's most-read book.
Standalone novels in order
Moment in Peking (1939)
A Leaf in the Storm (1941)
Chinatown Family (1948)
Widow, Nun, and Courtesan (1951)
The Vermilion Gate (1953)
Lady Wu (1957)
The Red Peony (1961)
Juniper Loa (1963)
The Flight of the Innocents (1964)
Short story collections in order
Famous Chinese Short Stories (1967)
Non-fiction in order
My Country and My People (1935)
The Importance of Living (1937)
With Love and Irony (1940)
Between Tears and Laughter (1943)
The Vigil of a Nation (1944)
The Gay Genius (1947)
The Wisdom of Laotse (1948)
The Wisdom of China (1949)
Wisdom of India (1949)
From Pagan to Christian (1959)
Imperial Peking (1961)
Lin Yutang (1975)
The Wisdom Of Confucius (1984)
Modern Fiction Studies (2010)
Children's books in order
The Chinese Way of Life (1959)
Poetry in order
The Secret Name (1958)
Other books in order
The Wisdom of China and India (1942)
Looking Beyond (1955)
The Importance of Understanding (1960)
The Pleasures of a Nonconformist (1962)
Translations from the Chinese (1963)
The Chinese Theory of Art (1967)
Chinese-English Dictionary of Modern Usage (1980)
Film and TV adaptations
- Moment in PekingTV · from Moment in Peking
- Moment in PekingTV · from Moment in Peking
- Moment in PekingTV · from Moment in Peking
About Lin Yutang
Lin Yutang was a Chinese writer, linguist, and inventor. A prolific bilingual writer in both Chinese and English, he was celebrated for pioneering a humorous prose style in modern Chinese literature and for serving as a cultural bridge between China and the West, most notably through My Country and My People (1935) and his English translations of Chinese classics. As a linguist, he compiled a series of ESL textbooks for Chinese learners in the 1930s and later produced an English–Chinese dictionary in the 1970s. As an inventor, he designed a Chinese typewriter, which was patented in the United States in 1952, though it was never mass-produced. From 1940 to 1973, Lin received six nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Lin Yutang FAQ
- How many books has Lin Yutang written?
- Lin Yutang published 9 novels, 1 short story collection, 14 non-fiction books, 1 children's book, 1 poetry collection and 7 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Lin Yutang's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with Famous Chinese Short Stories.
- What is Lin Yutang's last book?
- Lin Yutang (1975).
- What is Lin Yutang's most famous book?
- Famous Chinese Short Stories (1967) is Lin Yutang's most widely read book.
- Which Lin Yutang books have been adapted?
- 1 book has been adapted for film or TV, including Moment in Peking (TV).
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.