Among the volumes of Adam drawings at Sir John Soane’s Museum in London, number 53 is unique. Whereas its companion volumes were pieced together after Robert Adam (1728–92) and James Adam (1732–94) had died, number 53 was compiled while the Adam office was in business. Comprising record drawings of frieze designs from numerous commissions undertaken by the Adam brothers throughout their career, the volume is the work of a single hand and was produced as a cohesive project. However, despite the extent of Adam scholarship and the unusual nature of the volume, number 53 has received almost no attention. Its date, authorship and purpose are here the subject of detailed observation for the first time.