The Palladian style dominated British architecture for most of the 1700s, until the rise of the Adam style, which held sway for the final decades of the eighteenth century. Brothers Robert and James Adam were almost single-handedly responsible for infusing Georgian architecture with the sensibilities and elements of classical Hellenic and Latinate design. Their elegant, sophisticated form of Neoclassicism affected not only architecture, but also interior design, furniture design, and landscaping.

The Works in Architecture of Robert and James Adam, one of the most celebrated books in architectural history, consists of the brothers' own selections of illustrations from their commissions. Dating from the 1770s, these 106 illustrated plates epitomize the style that influenced generations of British and American architectural and furniture designs. Created by some of the finest commercial engravers of the age — including four plates by Piranesi — these illustrations are painstakingly reproduced in perfect detail and clarity. The original text imparts the Adams' own esthetic and practical aims, and an informative introduction places the brothers' work in historical perspective.