Literature Macaulay is the author of several books on architecture and design. His first book,
Cathedral (1973), was a history, extensively illustrated with
pen-and-ink drawings, of the construction of a fictitious but representative
Gothic cathedral. This was followed by a series of books of the same type:
City (1974), on the construction of Verbonia, a fictitious but typical
ancient Roman city;
Pyramid (1975), a collection of diagrams and sketches illustrating the construction process of the
pyramid monuments to the Egyptian
Pharaohs;
Castle (1977), on the construction of Aberwyvern castle, a fictitious but typical
medieval castle;
Mill (1983), on the evolution of
New England mills; and
Mosque (2003), which depicts the design and construction of an
Ottoman-style
masjid. The
September 11 attacks motivated Macaulay to create
Mosque to show how the traditions of major religions have more in common than they have dividing them.
Cathedral,
City,
Pyramid,
Castle, and
Mill were later adapted into documentaries with animated period drama segments produced by Unicorn Productions, each of which aired sporadically on
PBS from 1983 to 1994. Other books in the series are
Underground (1976), which describes the building foundations and support structures (like water and
sewer pipes) that underlie a typical city intersection, and
Unbuilding (1980), which describes the hypothetical dismantling of the
Empire State Building in preparation for re-erection in the Middle East. Macaulay authored a children's book,
The Way Things Work (1988, text by
Neil Ardley). This was expanded and re-released as
The New Way Things Work (1998) and
The Way Things Work Now (2016).
Baaa is set after the human race has somehow gone extinct. Sheep discover artifacts of lost human civilization and attempt to rebuild it. However, the new sheep-inhabited world develops the same side effects of economic disparity, crime, and war. Macaulay considers
concealing technology's inner mechanics as a growing problem for society, and aims to fight this trend with his work. Researching his book
The Way We Work, Macaulay took years talking and studying with doctors and researchers, attending medical procedures, and laboriously sketching and drawing. He worked with medical professionals like Lois Smith, a professor at Harvard University and researcher at Children's Hospital Boston, and medical writer Richard Walker to ensure the accuracy of both his words and his illustrations. He has collaborated with the Center for Integrated Quantum Materials at
Harvard University and the
Boston Museum of Science to create illustrations for
quantum materials. These aid in explaining visual information to researchers and a wider audience by establishing and using a consistent
visual style. ==Awards==