The Grand Scribe's Records, Volume V.II
Description
The second part of the fifth volume of Ssu-ma Ch'ien's Shi chi, The Grand Scribe's Records Volume V.II continues our exploration of the shih chia (hereditary houses). With seven new translations, this volume traces the history of China's first states from their establishment in the 11th century BC until their incorporation in the first empire under the Ch'in in 221 BC. Combining myth, anecdote, chronicle, and biography based on early written and oral sources – many no longer extant – the narratives make for compelling reading, as dramatic and readable as any in this grand history.
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Ssu-ma Ch'ien (145-ca. 86 B.C.) was a major official in the Western Han dynasty. China's greatest historian, he overcame tragedy to complete this work, compiling the history of his culture from its beginnings through the end of the second century B.C.
William H. Nienhauser, Jr. is Halls-Bascom Professor of Classical Chinese Literature at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His books include The Indiana Companion to Traditional Chinese Literature and (as translator) Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical by André Levy. He was a founding editor of the journal Chinese Literature, Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR).