The fourth and concluding volume in the Mark J. Millard Architectural Collection catalog focuses on books published in Italy. These books constitute a significant segment of the architectural, archaeological, and topographical imprints published between 1486 and 1848 in various cities in the Italian peninsula. Also included is a small sampling of Spanish books published between 1671 and 1800.

Italy—the epicenter of the architectural Renaissance and the site of many ruins of the ancient world—created vital architectural publications in the early modern period that were promoted by a broad range of committed patrons in many culturally important cities. These influential treatises not only record the work of individual architects but define the theory and practice of architecture for future generations. Their elegant woodcuts and engravings further lend them to art-historical study and collecting.