The Royal Academys popular Summer Exhibition has been an annual event since 1769. Today, around a thousand works are selected each year from over 10,000 entries. The exhibition includes paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, architectural design and models, and continues to be the largest open exhibition in the UK. First published in the 1870s, the Royal Academy Illustrated presents the highlights of each years show and is a fascinating barometer of changing artistic tastes. A wide cross-section of the works on display is included, accompanied by installation shots of the galleries that reveal the individual nature of each years show. The books illustrations, together with an informative introduction, make the book a handsome and informative record of this most popular event.