David Macaulay P'96
Out of his lifelong fascination with the way things work, David Macaulay
P '96 has fashioned a successful career as author and illustrator of children's books so engaging that adults as well as children are captivated by his work. His best-known book, The Way Things Work: From Levers to Lasers, Cars to Computers -- A Visual Guide to the World of Machines, achieved best-seller status in 1988.
Born in Lancashire, England, Macaulay was 11 when his parents moved from England to Bloomfield, N.J. During his adjustment to life in the states, the adolescent began to draw seriously. After graduating from high school, he enrolled at the Rhode Island School of Design, and received a bachelor's degree in architecture.
After a short period working for an interior designer, as a junior high school teacher and as a professor at RISD, Macaulay began to experiment with creating books. One of his first ideas, which depicted gargoyles, caught the attention of a Houghton Mifflin editor. The result of their meeting was Macaulay's first book, Cathedral.
Other books by Macaulay include City, about the construction of a Roman city; Pyramid, which depicts the construction of the pyramids; Castle, chronicling the building of a medieval fortress; Mill, about the evolution of a New England mill town; and Unbuilding, a fictional story about the demolition of the Empire State Building that illustrates how the skyscraper is constructed. In all, he has written and illustrated more than a dozen books.
The historical and mechanical information conveyed in Macaulay's books are the result of extensive research while the stories that accompany his meticulous illustrations are fictional, whimsical and fun. The books defy traditional categorization as many can be found simultaneously in childrens' libraries, adults' book collections and in college classrooms.
Macaulay has won numerous awards for his work. Cathedral won the German Jugenbuchpreis and the Dutch Silver Slate Pencil. Cathedral and Castle received Caldecott Honors, and his books have been chosen as best of the year by the New York Times, School Library Journal, Horn Book and the ALA Notable Book Committee. He was also honored by the American Institute of Architects as an outstanding illustrator. Three of his books, Cathedral, Castle and Pyramid, have been made into popular PBS television programs narrated by Macaulay.
A resident of Warren, R.I., Macaulay is married. His daughter Elizabeth Alexandra is a member of the Class of 1996 at Wheaton College.
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