On 26 July 1721 the Wiener Diarium informed its readers that a new book by the superintendent of buildings Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach was ready. The book, titled Entwurff Einer Historischen Architectur, could be collected directly from the architect's premises by subscribers. The Entwurff is a collection of 86 sheets illustrating the architecture of the ancient Jews, Egyptians, Syrians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Turks, Siamese, Chinese and Japanese, together with some of the author's own designs. Three centuries after the death of the Austrian master, this facsimile reprint proposes to look back at Fischer's book as a precise cultural project, reacting to a specific historical and geographical context, and yet suggesting a more general attitude that can challenge contemporary architecture. The volume is accompanied by a complete English translation of the original texts and is complemented with essays by the editors.