Qin (221-206 BCE) and Han (206-220 CE)

• Bielenstein, Hans. The Bureaucracy of Han Times. Cambridge University Press, 1975.
• Creel, Herrlee G. The Origins of Statecraft in China. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1970.
• Chavannes, Edouard. Les memoires historiques de Se-ma Ts’ien, Vol. II, Appendice I, pp. 513-533. This appendix describes governmental organization in Ch’in and Han times, but it is rather sketchy and often fails to translate the titles mentioned.
• De Crespigny, Rafe. Official Titles of the Former Han Dynasty. Canberra: Australia National University Press, 1967.
• Dubs, Homer H. History of the Former Han Dynasty. This work represents the most comprehensive treatment of Han official titles, but, unfortunately, only three of the projected five volumes have been published. Therefore the index is still missing. However, an index to the titles mentioned in the first three voulmes has been prepared by Rafe De Crespigny, Official Titles of the Former Han Dynasty (Canberra: Australian National University Press, 1967). Another key is to consult the Harvard-Yenching Sinological Index Series, No. 36 漢 書 及 補 注 綜 合 引 得 and compare its entries with Dub’s translation.
• Wang Yu ch’uan. “An Outline of the Central Government of the Former Han Dynasty.” Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, XII (1949), pp. 134-187. Discusses function as well as organization.

There are a number of specialized works such as Nancy Lee Swann, Food and Money in Ancient China and A. F. P. Hulsewe, Remnants of Han Law , which are very useful in that they frequently include the translation and discussion of titles not mentioned in Dub’s works.

• Swann, Nancy Lee. Food and Money in Ancient China: The Earliest Economic History of China to AD 25, Han Shu 24, with Related Texts Han Shu 91 and Shih-chi 129. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1950.
• Hulselwe, A.F.P. Remnants of Han Law. Leiden: Brill, 1955.