Wei Shou is the author of the Book of Wei (Wei Shu), the only work by him currently included in this collection, where it is classified under Eastern philosophy. Publicly available information about his life is limited: his dates of birth and death and his nationality are not clearly recorded, so no speculation is offered here. On the available evidence, Wei Shou is known to later generations chiefly as a historian. The Book of Wei covers the Northern Wei dynasty and is one of the basic sources for studying the history of the Northern Dynasties. Its writing follows the annal-biographical framework and records both institutions and social conditions, with an arrangement of materials that reflects a distinct historical awareness. Because the work was compiled in a particular political environment, later scholars have often discussed its narrative stance and selection of sources, which also shows its lasting influence. Readers who approach it in the political and cultural context of the Northern Dynasties will better appreciate its value as historical material and its characteristics as a written work.
