1967 Historical Records

Description

Publishers' Original Binding

Comprised of selections from Sima Qian's Records of a Grand Historian, these two volumes on ancient Chinese history will appeal to historians, those interested in historiography, and language learners. With English and Chinese text printed on opposing pages. Chronicling the rise of the Yellow Emperor to Qian's own time under the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, Qian's ancient work served as a model for history-writing for subsequent Chinese dynasties. Following a case treasonous speech, the historian of the imperial court faced the choice of execution or castration, and chose the latter to fulfil his father's wish and complete this epic work of history. Although Qian is universally remembered for the Records, surviving works indicate that he was also a gifted poet and prose writer, and he was also instrumental in the creation of the Taichu calendar. In all, the Records consist of twelve Basic Annals, ten Tables, eight Treatises, thirty House Chronicles, and seventy Ordered Biographies. However, these two volumes contain two of the Basic Annals, five of the House Chronicles, and Twenty four of the Biographies, rearranged to be in chronological order, starting with Confucious in the sixth century B.C, down to the Qian's own time in the first century.