Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) was a great German painter, graphic artist, master of engraving, and one of the founders of the theory of realistic art in Western Europe. In addition to his outstanding pictorial works, Dürer left behind a number of theoretical works in which he outlined his aesthetic views and gave practical advice: these are the treatises “Guide to Measurement” (1525), “Instructions for the Fortification of Cities” (1527), and “Four Books on Proportions” (1528). Materials for the unfinished “Book of Painting” and other sketches have also survived. These works reveal the breadth of outlook and diversity of interests of one of the greatest representatives of Renaissance art and constitute an integral part of his work, without which it cannot be fully appreciated.

In the original, Dürer’s treatises are very extensive and largely of a specialized nature, and also abound in repetitions. The compilers of this collection tried to select the material in such a way that it would be possible to judge the structure of these works, and the entire range of issues addressed in them, and the method of presentation, and, above all, Dürer's views on art. In addition to the texts, the publication contains reproductions of Dürer's engravings, drawings and sketches.

The text is printed according to the academic edition of 1957.