in attempting to find more 'ancient' words to rephrase the Tang originals. Annals The annals of the Tang emperors are covered in volumes 1–10. Wilkinson notes that the annals in the New Book of Tang are considerably shorter than the Old Book of Tang. Treatises The treatises are contained in volumes 11 through 60. As noted above the treatises are greatly expanded compared with the Old Book of Tang. The section on Rites and Music () is the largest occupying 12 volumes (11-22). The New Book of Tang was the first of the standard histories to include a treatise on selecting and appointing officials (). This included a description of the examination system, which had become an increasingly important aspect of recruiting officials in the Tang, especially after 780. Tables The tables are contained in volumes 61–75. Biographies Four biographies of women appear in this new book that were not present in the first Old Book of Tang. The women kill or maim themselves in horrible ways, and represent examples of Tang dynasty women that were intended to deter contemporary readers from extreme behavior. For example, Woman Lu gouges her own eye out to assure her ailing husband that there will be no second man after him. Biographies of 35 overly filial and fraternal men are also included in the work, though these men do not resort to the extremes of female mutilation found in the female biographies. See also Twenty-Four Histories References Citations Sources Works cited External links Chronicles of the Chinese Dynasties, Twitchett, Official History under the T'ang, pp. 19119–236. New Book of Tang 《新唐書》 Chinese text with matching English vocabulary Twenty-Four Histories 11th-century Chinese books 11th-century history books Historiography of China History books about the Tang dynasty Song dynasty literature