Macaulay is probably best known for the popular children's book The Way Things Work (1988, text by Neil Ardley). Other books in this series are Underground (1976), which describes the building foundations and support structures (like water and sewer pipes) that underlie a typical city intersection, and Unbuilding (1980), which describes the hypothetical dismantling of the Empire State Building in preparation for re-erection in the Middle East. Cathedral, City, Pyramid, Castle, and Mill were later adapted into documentaries with animated period drama segments produced by Unicorn Productions, each of which aired sporadically on PBS from 1983 to 1994. The September 11 attacks motivated Macaulay to create Mosque to show how the traditions of major religions have more in common than they have dividing them. This was followed by a series of books of the same type: City (1974), on the construction of Verbonia, a fictitious but typical ancient Roman city Pyramid (1975), a collection of diagrams and sketches illustrating the construction process of the pyramid monuments to the Egyptian Pharaohs Castle (1977), on the construction of Aberwyvern castle, a fictitious but typical medieval castle Mill (1983), on the evolution of New England mills and Mosque (2003), which depicts the design and construction of an Ottoman-style masjid. His first book, Cathedral (1973), was a history, extensively illustrated with pen-and-ink drawings, of the construction of a fictitious but representative Gothic cathedral. Macaulay is the author of several books on architecture and design. Macaulay currently lives in Norwich, Vermont. He then took jobs as an interior designer, a junior high school teacher, and a teacher at RISD before he began to create books.

He spent his fifth year at RISD in the European Honors Program, studying in Rome. After graduating he decided against pursuing a career in architecture. After graduating from high school in Cumberland, Rhode Island, in 1964, he enrolled in the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) where he received a bachelor's degree in architecture. He had an early fascination with how machines operated and made models and drew illustrations of them. At the age of eleven, Macaulay emigrated with his family to Bloomfield, New Jersey. Macaulay was a 2006 recipient of a MacArthur Fellows Program award and received the Caldecott Medal in 1991 for Black and White (1990).ĭavid Macaulay was born in Burton upon Trent and raised in Lancashire, England.

His illustrations have been featured in nonfiction books combining text and illustrations explaining architecture, design and engineering, and he has written a number of children's fiction books. His works include Cathedral (1973), The Way Things Work (1988) and The New Way Things Work (1998). David Macaulay (born 2 December 1946) is a British-born American illustrator and writer.

Castle book by david macaulay