The Grand Scribe's Records, Volume IX: The Memoirs of Han China, Part II [Hardcover]

This volume ofThe Grand Scribe's Recordsincludes the second segment of Han-dynasty memoirs and deals primarily with men who lived and served under Emperor Wu (r. 14187 B.C.). The lead chapter presents a parallel biography of two ancient physicians, Pien Ch'?eh and Ts'ang Kung, providing a transition between the founding of the Han dynasty and its heyday under Wu. The account of Liu P'i is framed by the great rebellion he led in 154 B.C. and the remaining chapters trace the careers of court favorites, depict the tribulations of an ill-fated general, discuss the Han's greatest enemy, the Hsiung-nu, and provide accounts of two great generals who fought them. The final memoir is structured around memorials by two strategists who attempted to lead Emperor Wu into negotiations with the Hsiung-nu, a policy that Ssu-ma Ch'ien himself supported.

An essential source for early Chinese history

Ssu-ma Ch'ien (145ca. 86 B.C.) was an official at the court of the Han Emperor Wu (r. 14187 B.C.), who was involved in the compilation of a mammoth historical project that resulted in this history, which came to be known as theShih chi(The Grand Scribe's Records).

William H. Nienhauser, Jr., is the Halls-Bascom Professor of Classical Chinese Literature at the University of WisconsinMadison and editor of five previous volumes ofThe Grand Scribe's Records.

Nienhauser's latest volume is another indispensable addition to modern sinology, as well as a fitting tribute to an ancient historian.

Acknowledgments
Introduction: Herodotus and Ssu-ma Ch'ien: A Preliminary Study of Styles and Sources in Their Early Chapters
On Using This Book
Weights and Measures
List of Abbreviations
Memoir 45
Memoir 46
Memoir 47
Memoir 48
Memoir 49
Memoir 50
Memoir 51
Memoir 52
Frequently Mentioned Commentators
Biographical Sketches of Shih chi Scholars
Selected Recent Works on the Shih Chi