The Ming Veritable Records or Ming Shilu, contains the imperial annals of the emperors of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). It is the single largest historical source of information on the dynasty and consist of 2,909 volumes and more than 16 million words in total. According to modern historians, it "plays an extremely important role in the historical reconstruction of Ming society and politics." After the fall of the Ming dynasty, the Ming Veritable Records was used as a primary source for the compilation of the History of Ming by the Qing dynasty.