The Historical Records or Shiji is a history of the Chinese world from its beginnings up to the late second century BC. Its author, the Grand Historiographer Sima Qian (c. 145-86 BC), is not only the most famous Chinese historian, but also a great writer whose work had a powerful influence on Chinese and other Far Eastern literatures.

The Historical Records is an immense and complex work. This edition translates material on the vital but short-lived Qin Dynasty, which unified China in 221 BC and created the empire that lasted until 1911. The famous terracotta warriors, excavated in 1974, guard the tomb of the First Emperor, the founder of the dynasty.

This accessible translation by one of the foremost scholars of Classical Chinese is supplemented by clear notes, a map, and an index. The introduction examines Sima Qian in the tradition of history writing and places the Qin dynasty in its wider historical context.