Great Moments in Architecture

by David Macaulay

A wonderous portfolio that has to be seen to be savored-or even believed for that matter. Here are the plans for the Tower of Pisa-on a skewed drafting table, the Eiffel Tower tipped over across from the Seine, the ruins of a McDonald's stand following some future Vesuvius, the disastrous meeting of the Great and Lesser Walls of China, and many other gems.

Genres: Architecture, Humor, Art, Nonfiction, History, Picture Books, Comics

116 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

David Macaulay, born in 1946, was eleven when his parents moved from England to Bloomfield, New Jersey. He found himself having to adjust from an idyllic English childhood to life in a fast paced American city. During this time he began to draw seriously, and after graduating from high school he enrolled in the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). After spending his fifth year at RISD in Rome on the European Honors Program, he received a bachelor’s degree in architecture and vowed never to practice. After working as an interior designer, a junior high school teacher, and a teacher at RISD, Macaulay began to experiment with creating books. He published his first book, Cathedral, in 1973. Following in this tradition, Macaulay created other books—including City, Castle, Pyramid, Mill, Underground, Unbuilding, and Mosque—that have provided the explanations of the how and the why in a way that is both accessible and entertaining. From the pyramids of Egypt to the skyscrapers of New York City, the human race’s great architectural and engineering accomplishments have been demystified through Macaulay's elaborate show-and-tells. Five of these titles have been made into popular PBS television programs.

Reviews

[Leif · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know, if I were as good a draftsman as Macaulay, I would be a little more precise with my details (cross-hatching, brick-lines). This is because I want his ridiculous drawings to be more Piranesian, as if that were necessary...it's just that they are SO close to perfect.

[Kaethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ha! Originally presented as an exhibit in 1977, I'd missed this book entirely. I don't know how many people go for architectural humor, but this is definitely for some. Not only is it amusing, but the inclusion at the back of sketches for the pieces is an interesting sidebar on the crafting of the drawings.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of MacAulay's books have a streak of wry and whimsical humor, but in this one he really cuts loose - I gave a copy to my father-in-law the architect and you could hear him laughing all over the house. I'd love to have this guy over for dinner and just hang out with him - he'd be a lot of fun.

[Maura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I consider this read because it didn't have many words and I flipped through it while in the gift shop at Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater. I liked the pictures, but it wasn't so interesting that I decided to buy it or anything.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for children.

[Cami · Rating 2 out of 5]

Macaulay is a good artist and there are some genuinely funny ideas here but I don't understand why or for whom his book was published.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's ok. That's all.