This book tells the Ban's stories, from their ancestor in the kingdom of Chu, to Jieyu, Biao's beautiful aunt who was a famous poetess and the concubine of Emperor Liu Ao, and the work surrounding the compiling and writing of Hanshu by Biao and his children Gu and Zhao. The book further discusses the political and social turmoil surrounding the period between the Western Han and Eastern Han dynasties, the evolution of Confucianism, as well as the relationship between the Han Empire and its aggressive northern neighbor Huns. This book is an excellent biographical illustration with accurate citation of historical reference and insightful arguments, which is highly recommended to those with an interest in the history of the Han Dynasty.