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. The books illustrations, which include a wide range of the works on display and installation shots of the galleries, together with an informative introduction by the co-ordinator of this years exhibition, Tess Jaray RA, make the book an indispensable record of this most popular event.