Built to Last 1st (first) edition Text Only

by David Macaulay

This new books understanding of these buildings, capturing intriguing new perspectives and a depth of detail in structure and atmosphere.This impeccably researched volume is not only a necessary addition to the bookshelf of any David Macaulay or architecture fan, but will delight readers of all ages who are experiencing his work for the first time.

Genres: History, Architecture, Nonfiction, Art, Picture Books, Childrens, Science

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2010

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

[Rachel Hartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

**AUTHORS BEHAVING AWESOME!**

Well, one specific author/illustrator, anyway.

So OK, here's the story:
My eight-year-old son has always loved David Macaulay's books. He gets this from his Mom, of course. I had the whole set before he was even born, and I used to read them to him before he could talk. The boy loves to draw, and I believe this has been inspired in large part by Macaulay's books.

My son is a GOOD artist, for a kid his age. He can draw perspective. I didn't teach him that. I'm pretty sure it was these books.

Anyway, about a month ago, when the final North American cover for Seraphina was unveiled, I was very excited about it because it kind of reminded me of David Macaulay's work, with all the rich architectural detail. I mentioned this to my agent, and that my boy was also a fan, and my agent said, "Macaulay's agent works here in the same agency. Let me see if there are any extra books lying around." And lo, he found a spare copy of THIS book - Built to Last - and no, it wasn't one I owned (mostly because I already owned two of the three books inside it, Castle and Cathedral).

The book arrived, I handed it over to my son, and he spent days pouring over it. He took it to bed with him. He read it at breakfast.

Then one day he burst into tears, slammed the book shut, and said, "I'm never drawing again! I'll never be able to draw this good! NEVER!"

He was very upset for a day or two. He asked me to burn all his drawings and throw his art supplies away. O, the melodrama! I informed him that it was fine to be upset, and if he never drew again that was his choice and I'd respect it, but he was not to destroy drawings, art supplies, or books. If he really didn't want them, they were MINE.

His pencils lived in my bedroom for a few days.

Then, last week, when he was home sick, all of a sudden he fetched himself a piece of paper, sat down, and started drawing again. I didn't say anything to him - I scarcely dared breathe! - until he was done. He showed me this beautiful Medieval village he'd drawn, complete with half-timbered houses, perspective, shading, a blacksmith's shop. He drew graining and knot-holes in the wood, f'r crying out loud.

I said, "I'm glad you didn't give up drawing."

He said, "Well, I decided the only way to stop feeling intimidated by David Macaulay was to draw something as good as David Macaulay. And I did!"

(Yes, he really said that. Yes, he is eight. Yes, he is smarter than he should be by half.)

So I shot my agent an e-mail, asking whether he'd be willing to forward a fan letter from my boy to Mr. Macaulay, and telling him this story. My agent, that rascal, forwarded the story to Macaualy's agent, who forwarded it to Macaulay. I woke up this morning to find an e-mail from David Macaulay to my son, telling him to keep drawing and attaching some sketches so he can see that even after 60 years of practice, drawings ALWAYS start out messy.

I woke my boy up with the news. I have never seen him jump out of bed so fast or so happily.

Thank you, David Macaulay. This morning I have the happiest eight-year-old in the entire world.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is absolutely fantastic! It is amazing how much skill and time it took to build these amazing buildings. David Macaulay did a wonderful job with the story and illustrations. We learned so much from this book.

[Austin Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd recommend this book to any child or adult with an interest in history or the built environment. Not only does it teach about the architecture and construction of the buildings themselves, but it also teaches us about the dedication required to embark on projects that will last beyond our lifetimes. I think this is an especially important reminder in the disposable world we live in today.

While the watercolors in Mosque are wonderful, I think I preferred Macaulay's original pen and ink work more than the colored pencil versions of Castle and Cathedral in this combined collection.

[BookKids · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Macaulay has taught us so much over the years about architecture and the history of buildings, and wwe are fascinated by this new book expanding on three of his best-loved classics.

[Timothy White · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is truly a great book that I would recommend but probably won't read again. My favorite book growing up may have been another by author and illustrator David Macaulay, titled the Way Things Work. Personally, I've always been more interested in science than architecture, but this book does a great job of introducing many of the common and specialty features of the grandest of structures. The illustrations are clearly hand-drawn and extremely detailed, combining fine features and lines with a level of imprecision that grants character and depth to what is drawn. I truly liked this book quite a bit.

[Mike Violano · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I wore a younger man's clothes I read Cathedral, a pen and ink masterpiece by Macaulay. Built to Last details three classic structures from the 12th and 16th centuries. Revisiting Cathedral in brilliant color is a special treat for children of all ages alongside a new colorful edition of Castle and Mosque which was already in color. The author carefully explains and vividly illustrates each step in the building process. I can't think of any better introduction to architecture than this tome.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Macaulay simply writes and draws amazing books. I actually know what a flying buttress is now, and what they do! This is a fantastic book for people young and old to learn about architecture and history. This is a full-color omnibus of his books Castle, Cathedral, and Mosque, and I can't recommend it enough. If you know any children (or adults!) who love Minecraft or LEGOs, this is the history book for them.

[Mansour S منصور السدحان · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple yet gives a fairly deep look into the techniques of constructing buildings of different types in older times, and the local social/cultural setting that influence some aspects of the building. It does make you look back at many old architecture and have a better understanding and appreciation beyond the casual glance.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cool.

[Sheri-lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a pretty great book for kids as in introduction to historical architecture. I like the little jokes on the labeled drawings ‘mistake’ etc. Haha

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's quite a bit of detail here, though at times I felt some things could have been discussed with more or less detail (context).

Overall, a neat book, esp. easy for kids to read, I'd think.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had previously read Castle and Cathedral but they were black and white versions. This book is full color. Very informative and interesting.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

The construction of castles and towns.

[Douglas Zaznaow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, or more specifically collection of three books, by David Macaulay is a very interesting and engaging read. It tells the story of the building of a Welsh castle (or technically an English castle in Wales), A Gothic cathedral and a mosque. It goes into detail about the architecture of these buildings and it leaves you in awe of the genius, knowledge and perserverance of the ancient people who constructed these great monuments. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in history or architecture.

[Jess Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

compilaiton of Macaulay's three seperate books - Castle, Cathedral, and Mosque. As usual, the illustrations are stunning, and two of the three sections are now in color, with revised (and, in my opinion, improved) illustrations. the explanations remain just as well-written as in the originals. great for anyone - children and adults alike - who is interested in building and architecture (my son is currently fascinated by it, which is what prompted our reading).

[Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Built to Last is a great book! I wish I had it growing up. Macauley's drawings (very impressed) were invaluable to ensuring my understanding of certain topics. Although you wouldn't want to lug this book around with you on the bus, it's definitely a good book to have on a coffee table or book shelf in your house. Recommend for anyone who wants to gain a basic understanding of how castles, cathedrals and mosques are built, and the principles behind their design and construction.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome book. The illustrations really bring the building to life and you can flip through the book and understand how castles, cathedrals and mosques were built. The text is easy to read and filled with details I never knew. My 9 year old thought it was cool (especially the castles) and I was fascinated. I now know that animal hides were used as an early fire-proofing technique and know how to build equipment to use in a raid on a castle. I'll definitely look for other books in the series!

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Collects Macaulay's Cathedral and Castle, along with his newer work, Mosque. In the forward, he notes that 30 years on, he's not so satisfied with his early art, and redrew much of the two older books so they could be in color. They still look familiar to those who have read the old line-drawing versions.

These books made a huge impression on me as a kid, and hold up well reread 20 years later.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I'd had this book when I was reading Pillars of the Earth last year! (A picture IS worth a thousand words, especially when they are Ken Follett's.) The text and illustrations provide detailed explanation of medieval building processes. Such an accessible book, as well as interesting and entertaining. Highly recommended to people interested in architecture and history.

[Ron Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chris got this from the library recently. When he and Derek were young I introduced them toDavid Macaulay and his neat books about architecture. We had seen the black & white versions of Castle and Cathedral. Now they are in color with Mosque. I highly recommend his books to young people and also adults who want to learn how things are built.

[Cris · Rating 1 out of 5]

A gorgeous, technically-exacting disappointment. All the structures in this book are fictional amalgamations of different structures of its type. The individual stories of the castle, mosque and cathedral are too long for read-aloud for children and too inexact for adults. Its just too bad, cause the fictional 'histories' are well told.

[Matt Dillard · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a cool, cool book. This is really a compilation of three different books, all by David Macaulay, which describe the building of a castle, a cathedral and a mosque. The author spins a narrative around each project, enough to be interesting and annotate the illustrations. The illustrations themselves shine, and the hidden humor in the drawings is sometimes laugh-out-loud funny.

[Inhabiting Books]

A fascinating, in-depth look -through text and beautiful, amazingly detailed illustrations- at the history, design, structure, and construction process of the featured buildings. Geared for older children (8 and up) and adults.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually haven't read this book.....but my 10 y/o has been reading it and sharing bits for the lsat 3 days. It turns out, my husband read an early edition of this book (just the castles, no cathedrals or mosques) as a kid. Neat stuff.

[Sarah]

Kirkus Best Children's Books 2010

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great non-fiction with those wonderful step-by-step and cut-away illustrations. My eight year old was engrossed in learning about castles and the visual and narrative combination helped.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was awesome. I liked to know how things are built. This book did that by showing how a castle was built along with a story that went with it.

[Carol Spears · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a reissue of Castle, Cathedral and Mosque and was very interesting X3.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the beautiful art work showing architectural details, names, etc. Great way to learn about those beautiful buildings, from Castles & Cathedrals to Mosques

[Allegra S · Rating 2 out of 5]

Educational.