Compiled by the Tang dynasty historian Linghu Defen, the work was completed in 636 CE and consists of 50 chapters, some of which have been lost and replaced from other sources.
[citation needed] The book was criticised by Liu Zhiji for its attempt to glorify the ancestors of Tang dynasty officials of the time.
[1] Compilation began with Liu Qiu 柳虯 (502-555) in the Western Wei, who was vice-director of the Palace Library.
Liu Qiu was succeeded by Niu Hong 牛弘 (545-610) who also worked on the imperial diary and later became Director of the Palace Library.
In 629, Emperor Taizong of Tang appointed a team headed by Linghu Defen to work on compiling the Book of Zhou.