This second volume of the ongoing annotated translation of Ssu-ma Ch'ien's Shi chi(The Grand Scribe's Records), widely acknowledged as the most important early

Sima Qian (c. 100 B.C.E.) was China's first historian—he was known as Grand Astrologer at the court of Emperor Wu during the Han dynasty—and, along with Con

Reprint. Originally published: 2007. Reissued 2009.

"The short-lived Qin dynasty unified China in 2.21 B.C. and created an imperial legacy that lasted until 1911. The extraordinary story of the First Emperor, fou

The Historical Records or Shiji is a vast history of the Chinese world from its beginnings up to the late second century BC. Its author, the Grand Historiograph