Pyramids.  Majestic man-made stone structures rising up from the desert.  Impressive both in their size and in the imagination and human effort it took to create them.  Built to deny the finality of death and the limitations of time, pyramids stand before us as towering remnants of ancient Egyptian culture.  

David Macaulay has combined his many talents and architectural training with extensive research both in this country and in Egypt to create a book that graphically explains the step-by-step construction process of an imaginary pyramid.  As we follow the progressive stages of building both the pyramid itself and the surrounding temples and causeway we are able to understand why and how they came to be built.  Through concise text and richly detailed black and white illustrations we come to know the philosophy of life and death that led the ancient Egyptians to construct these massive structures; the work force, tools, and organization necessary; the actual process of cutting and transporting a seemingly endless supply of enormous stone blocks to the building site where each was then positioned, until finally, years later, the capstone could be set in place and the pyramid was ready at last to become the home of a Pharaoh's mummified body and his everlasting spirit.

From the dust jacket