A Complete Selection of Stories from the Twenty-Five Histories

The Twenty-Five Histories are works of both historical scholarship and literature. Their language is concise, their emphasis clear, their accounts well organized, and their structure rigorous. As they recount history, they praise virtue and condemn evil, vividly portraying people and events and bringing to life a great host of characters: the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, the various schools of thought, high officials and commoners, soldiers and merchants... One group takes the stage as another exits, and scene after magnificent scene comes together to form a brilliant panorama of history.