Best Selling Books by David MacAulay

Albert and his trusty mare, June, set off early on market day to sell their melons in town, thus beginning a mysterious chain of events in a thought-provoking journey that exposes ordinary life as an intricate sequence of action and reaction.

"In this wonderfully urbane fantasy" the Caldecott Medal-winning author and illustrator imagines the process of dismantling the Empire State Building ( Publishers Weekly). The acclaimed author of City and Pyramid now applies his inquisitive mind and stunningly detailed artwork to one of New York''s most iconic buildings. When the Empire State Building is purchased by an eccentric prince who wants to move it to the Arabian Desert, the intricate process of unbuilding begins. Along the way, Macaulay takes young readers on a tour of the skyscraper''s history and architecture and explains the many feats of engineering that went into its construction. His straightforward, informative text is illustrated with "perhaps the finest series of visually expansive, black-and-white perspective drawings, incisive renderings of the skyscraper and its celebrated ''views''" ( The Washington Post).

Text and black and white illustrations show how the Romans planned and constructed their cities for the people who lived within them.

As seen on CBS News Sunday Morning. Explainer-in-Chief David Macaulay updates his worldwide bestseller to capture the latest developments in the technology that most impacts our lives. What possible link could there be between parking meters and meat grinders, jumbo jets and jackhammers, remote control and rockets, electric guitars and egg beaters? Macaulay explains them all! Famously packed with information on the inner workings of everything from windmills to Wi-Fi, this extraordinary and humorous book both guides readers through the fundamental principles of machines and shows how the developments of the past are building blocks of the world of tomorrow. This sweepingly revised edition embraces recent technological developments, from touchscreens to 3D printers. Each scientific principle is brilliantly explained, with the help of a charming, if rather slow-witted, woolly mammoth. An illustrated survey of significant inventions closes the book, along with a glossary of technical terms and an index. A New York Times Bestseller

A future archeologist finds the remnants of a mysterious ancient people— us—in a wry satire that is "a marvel of imagination and . . . wonderfully illustrated" ( The New York Times). It is the year 4022, and the entire ancient country of Usa has been buried under many feet of detritus from a catastrophe that occurred back in 1985. Howard Carson, an amateur archeologist, is crossing the perimeter of an abandoned excavation site when he feels the ground give way beneath him. Suddenly, he finds himself at the bottom of a shaft, which, judging from the DO NOT DISTURB sign hanging from an archaic doorknob, is clearly the entrance to a still-sealed burial chamber. Carson''s incredible discoveries, including the remains of two bodies, one laid to rest on a ceremonial bed facing an altar that appeared to be a means of communicating with the Gods and the other lying in a porcelain sarcophagus in the Inner Chamber. These dramatic discoveries give Carson all the clues he needs to piece together the entire civilization—which he gets utterly wrong. The acclaimed author and illustrator of Castle and Pyramid, David Macaulay presents a wonderfully tongue-in-cheek satire of both historical presumption and American self-importance.

Explains to the reader how the human eye works.

The castle was built to keep the people inside safe. It keeps other people safely outside! Are you friend or foe?

This illustrated book gives young readers "a breathtaking and entirely original insight " into the complex systems that exist underneath modern cities ( Kirkus, starred review). Caldecott Medal-winning author and illustrator David Macaulay takes readers on a visual journey through a city''s various support systems—the many tunnels, pipes, walls, and other structures that help sustain the bustling life above. In Underground, Macaulay exposes a typical section of this intricate underground network and explains how it works. Along with his beautiful illustrations, Macaulay presents "a straightforward yet fascinating description of the labyrinth beneath the feet of any city dweller. And what a complex covered world [he] reveals! He invents an intersection of two streets and proceeds to show what we all might find if we dared to descend through that Alice-in-Wonderland manhole" ( The New York Times).

This illustrated look at nineteenth-century New England architecture was named a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. This book, from the award-winning author of The Way Things Work, takes readers of all ages on a journey through a fictional mill town called Wicksbridge. With words and pictures, David Macaulay reveals fascinating details about the planning, construction, and operation of the mills—and gives us a powerful sense of the day-to-day lives of Americans in this era. "His imaginary mills in an imaginary town in Rhode Island, and the generations of people who built and ran them, come to life." — The New York Times

Reveals the inner workings of the human body and all of its systems and mechanisms.

Describes wooden ships or caravels of the fifteenth century and follows archaeologists as they uncover a lost caravel in the Caribbean Sea.

Four brief "stories" about parents, trains, and cows, or is it really all one story? The author recommends careful inspection of words and pictures to both minimize and enhance confusion.

Text and detailed drawings follow the planning and construction of a "typical" castle and adjoining town in thirteenth-century Wales.

Text and detailed drawings follow the planning and construction of a magnificent Gothic cathedral in the imaginary French town of Chutreaux during the thirteenth century.

Text and black-and-white illustrations follow the intricate step-by-step process of the building of an ancient Egyptian pyramid.