Ssu-ma Ch'ien (145-ca. 90 BC), who has been described as the "Grand Historian of China," held the office of T'ai-shih, or director of astrology, in the imperial government. He completed a draft history of mankind started by his father. In his capacity...

Some books are so bad that the reviewer scarcely knows where to begin detailing their faults, or if there is even reason to bother. Most books, like most lives, are a mix of high intention and expedient compromise, of tempting promise and unfulfilled...

The problem of the authenticity of certain chapters of Sima Qian's (ca. 145--ca. 86 B.C.) Shiji [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (Records of the historian) has long been noted, beginning with the remark in Sima Qian's Hanshu [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] biography...

In the following essay, Watson outlines some general features of Chinese historical writings and explores the areas that were of greatest concern to Qian.

In the following excerpt from his full-length study of Qian's work, Durrant analyzes how Qian shaped the historical sources he used as the basis of his Shih chi.

In the following essay, Nienhauser examines problems with The Biographies of the Reasonable Officials section of the Shih chi and contends they can be resolved without concluding that the work is a forgery.