David Macaulay
British-born American illustrator and writer
About David Macaulay
Born 1946. David Macaulay is an American architect, illustrator, university teacher, children's writer, graphic designer and draftsperson.
Awards Macaulay's awards include the MacArthur Fellows Program award (2006); the Caldecott Medal, won for his book Black and White; the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award; the Christopher Award, an American Institute of Architects Medal; the Washington Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award; the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis; the Dutch Silver Slate Pencil Award; and the Bradford Washburn Award, awarded by the Museum of Science in Boston to exemplary contributors to science.
Publications Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction (1973); winner of the 1975 Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis for children's non-fiction; one of The New York Times ten Best Illustrated Books, 1973; Caldecott Honor Book (1974); Childrens Book Showcase title (1974) The Christopher Award and a New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year, 1975 Underground (1976); a New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year (1976) Ship (1994) Shortcut (1995) Rome Antics (1997) The New Way Things Work (1998) Pinball Science (1998) (CD-ROM video game) Building the Book Cathedral (1999) Building Big (2000) Angelo (2002) Mosque (2003) The Way We Work (7 October 2008); Honor, 2009 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Mammoth Science: The Big Ideas That Explain Our World, Tested by Mammoths (2020) Mammoth Maths: Everything You Need to Know About Numbers, Demonstrated by Mammoths (2022)
Artwork exhibitions David Macaulay: The Art of Drawing Architecture. The National Building Museum. (June 2007 to May 2008) Building Books: The Art of David Macaulay. The Currier Museum of Art. (2009)
Television Castle (1983), PBS, host and narrator Cathedral (1986), PBS, host and narrator Pyramid (1988), PBS, host and narrator Roman City (1994), PBS, host and narrator Building Big (2000), PBS, host and narrator Mill Times (2001), PBS, host and narrator The Way Things Work (2001–2002), BBC, 26 episodes, animated and based on the book
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Important facts
People in David Macaulay's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who is David Macaulay?
British-born American illustrator and writer
When was David Macaulay born?
David Macaulay was born on 2 December 1946 in Lancashire, Burton upon Trent.
What is David Macaulay's occupation?
David Macaulay is an architect, illustrator, university teacher, children's writer, graphic designer and draftsperson.
What nationality is David Macaulay?
David Macaulay is American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). David Macaulay. https://biography.guide/david-macaulay/
MLA: "David Macaulay." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/david-macaulay/.
Chicago: "David Macaulay." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/david-macaulay/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-21 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence
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