Russell Lee is a Singaporean author best known as the creator of True Singapore Ghost Stories, a series of books that has been one of the most popular sources of ghost stories in Singapore, Malaysia, other parts of Asia ever since the release of Book 1 in 1989. Lee has had a lasting impact on Singaporepublishing. His first book was the first of many that were published for the mass market. Before Russell Lee, a book which achieved sales of 3,000 copies was considered a bestseller. Lee surpassed 30,000 copies in three months. Shortly after the success of Lee's first book, readers began to wonder about his identity. Lee has never provided any photograph of himself or revealed anything about his personal life. Whenever he appears in public, he wears a mask and clothes that cover every inch of his body. Some reports say Russell Lee is white, posing as a local Singaporean. Others say he is Jim Aitchison, but this has never been substantiated. In the books, Lee swears he is Singaporean, with the "five stars and crescent moon imprinted on each blood cell".
As of 2017, 26 books in the True Singapore Ghost Stories series have been released. With over 1.5 million copies sold worldwide,, Lee is Asia's top writer of ghost stories. In 2014, Lee released the True Singapore Ghost Stories 25th Year Special Edition. The book looks back at the first 25 years of the TSGS series. Book 25, the latest in the series, was released in 2017. Lee has said he hopes to reach Book 50. The book series has also been made into a 13-part TV series.
Works
The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories
The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 1
The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 2
The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 3
The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 4
The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 5
The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 6
The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 7
The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 8
The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 9
The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 10
The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 11
The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 12
The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 13
The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 14
The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 15
The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 16
The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 17
The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 18
The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 19
The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 20
The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 21
The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 22
The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 23
The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories 25th Year Special Edition
The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 24
The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories Book 25