How many artists and authors have the opportunity to return in print to an earlier work, not only to explain it but also to tweak and even correct errors in it? Few. How many have the chance to do this with the same editor and publisher? Few, if any. Macaulay’s opportunity offers opportunity for readers of the 1974 Caldecott Honor Book Cathedral (Houghton Mifflin, 1973) to find out more about the artistic and design decisions he had to make as he created the first of his many books interpreting architecture to young readers and, often, to their adults, as well. In a volume unusually large in size, 14 1/4 x 10 ½ inches, Macaulay overlays early sketches with his finished drawings, shares some of his first worries and frustrations, and admits to making some mistakes. Macaulay has allowed what has become his signature wit to show more in subsequent volumes than he did in Cathedral, but his droll humor isn’t lacking as he relates how he created what became his career-launching volume. The back of the book jacket shows something of the publishing history of Cathedral by reproducing four of Macaulay’s publicity photographs since 1973. That book jacket also contains with pictures of editions in the United States and other nations: Japan, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, The Netherlands, Finland, Taiwan, Denmark, and Brazil. A singular chance to learn more about one artist’s decisions, bookmaking and cathedrals - all at the same time. (Age 9 and older)

It has been twenty-six years since the publication of CATHEDRAL. David Macaulay's first book, CATHEDRAL, introduced readers around the world to his unique gift for presenting architecture and technology in simple terms, and for demystifying even the most complex of concepts. CATHEDRAL received a Caldecott Honor Medal and is now considered a classic. BUILDING THE BOOK CATHEDRAL includes the content of CATHEDRAL in its entirety. Here Macaulay traces the evolution of his creative process in "building" that first book, from the initial concept to the finished drawings. He introduces the basic elements of structure and sequence and explains why one angle of a drawing may be better for conveying an idea than another. He describes how perspective, scale, and contrast can be used to connect a reader with concepts, and how placement of a picture on a page can make a difference in the way information is communicated. Building the Book Cathedral provides an opportunity to examine Macaulay's unique problem-solving skills as he looks back over two and a half decades at the book that launched his distinguished career.