David Macaulay

On an early autumn Wednesday in 1957, ten-year-old David Macaulay stood for a photograph, along with his mother, brother, and sister, on a carpet in front of the largest ship he'd seen. They were preparing to board the SS United States, the fastest, most advanced steamship ever built, heading to Pier 86 in New York. His family was emigrating from Bolton, England, to the busy New Jersey suburbs. 

Although his childhood was rather unremarkable, he was captivated by machines from an early age, often creating models and drawing illustrations of them. This fascination eventually led him to study architecture, receiving his degree from the Rhode Island School of Design after spending his final year in Rome as part of RISD's European Honors Program. He decided against a career in architecture however, choosing instead to work as an interior designer and then as a junior and senior high school art teacher. During this time, he began to consider creating books. 

After several trips to France, he combined his knowledge of architecture with his lifelong appreciation for Gothic cathedrals to launch his illustrious career with the book, Cathedral, which won a Caldecott Honor in 1974.

His depth of research, careful attention to detail, love for his subject matter, sly humor, and raw talent continue to bring the discerning reader a wide selection of books that deconstruct some of the greatest construction projects ever undertaken which he highlights beautifully in: City, Pyramid, Underground, Castle, Mill, and Mosque.  He applied these talents to the topic of simple machines as well, creating the original book, The Way Things Work, and its subsequent, newly revised editions. This book spawned a BBC-produced television series by the same name delighting children everywhere with his rather absurd combination of woolly mammoths and their interactions with modern machinery.  

A prolific author and illustrator, he has continued to create books that intrigue both children and adults with his unpredictable view of the world coupled with a unique sense of humor.

In one of his most recent books, he returned to a defining event of his childhood, sailing on the SS United States, to create Crossing on Time: Steam Engines, Fast Ships, and a Journey to the New World, where he delves into the life of William Francis Gibbs, the designer and engineer of that ship, combining it with his own life-changing journey.

The brief biography on the dust jacket of his first book describes Mr. Macaulay and his relationship to the books he creates: "Cathedral is a perfect combination of his own interests, talents, and enthusiasms." The intersection of these has provided us with a rich understanding of how the world is constructed through his innate ability to explain machines and construction, along with an array of other topics to his lucky readers.  

—Deanna Knoll