The “Consulting Detective” Nithan Thong-in by King Vajiravudh
Keywords:
Crown Prince Vajiravudh, Early 20th-century Bangkok, Nithan Thong-in, Siamese detective fiction, Thai LiteratureAbstract
This short study explores detective stories by Crown Prince Vajiravudh, later King Rama VI, in early 20th-century Siam. Compiled in Nithan Thong-in, these tales provide insights into Siamese society, culture, and history. Despite multiple reprints, an English translation is currently unavailable. This notice introduces the cultural richness of Mr Thong-in’s adventures, along with brief summaries of each story.
References
Primary Sources
Christie, Agatha. 1932. Peril at End House. London: Collins Crime Club [1st Edition].
Vajiravudh (วชิราวุธ), King. 2549 BE (2006 CE). ประพฤติการณ์ของนายทองอิน ร้ตนะเนตร์โดย รามจิตติ [The Dramatic Acts of Mr Thong-in Rattanet by Ramchitthi]. Bangkok: Amarin Books [Reprint with editorial commentary; Original Edition 1921].
———. 2554 BE (2011 CE). นิทานทองอิน [The Tales of Thong-in]. Bangkok: Thai Rom Klao Limited Company [Reprint; Original Edition 1912].
Secondary Sources
Harrison, Rachel. 2009. “Elementary, my Dear Wat”: Influence and Imitation in the Early Crime Fiction of “Late-Victorian” Siam. In Chewing Over the West: Occidental Narratives in Non-Western Readings, ed. by Doris Jedamski, 303‒347. Brill: Leiden.
Lim, Samson W. 2012. Detective Fiction, the Police and Secrecy in Early Twentieth Century Siam. South East Asia Research 20(1): 83‒102.
———. 2016. Siam’s New Detectives: Visualizing Crime and Conspiracy in Modern Thailand. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press.
Loos, Tamara. 2006. Subject Siam: Family, Law, and Colonial Modernity in Thailand. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Paget, Ralph & Devawongse Varoprakar. 1909. Treaty Between Great Britain and Siam: Signed at Bangkok, March 10, 1909. American Journal of International Law 3(4): 297–304.
Panida Boonthavong (พนิดา บุญทวีเวช). 2557 BE (2014 CE). สืบสรรพการ กับประวัติอาชญนิยายในประเทศไทย [Investigate the Activities and History of Crime Fiction in Thailand]. In จะเก็บเกี่ยวข้าวงามในทุ่งใหม่: ประวัติวรรณกรรมไทยร่วมสมัยในมุมมองร่วมสมัย [Reaping the Harvest in the Unknown Fields: History of Contemporary Perspectives], ed. by Soranat Tailanga & Nitthanat Prasannam, 10–31. Bangkok: Kasetsart University Press.
Rattanachai Luangwongngam (รัตนชัย เหลืองวงศ์งาม). 2549 BE (2006 CE). ประพฤติการฌ์ของนายทองอิน ร้ตนะเนตร์ โตย รามจิตติ [Introduction, and endnotes to The Dramatic Acts of Mr Thong-in Rattanet by Ramchitthi], 7–23 & 341–364. Bangkok: Amarin Book Center.
Thak Chaloemtiarana. 2018. Read Till It Shatters: Nationalism and identity in modern Thai literature. Canberra: ANU Press.
Thosaeng Chaochuti. 2009. “The Murderer of Bangkhunphrom”: The Semi-Colonial Siam and its Early Literary Adaptations. Manusya: Journal of Humanities 18: 30‒41.