“Marvelous . . . Recreates the building of a French Gothic cathedral from [hewing] half a forest to [placing] the last sheet of lead on the spire” (Time).

A Caldecott Honor Book
One of the New York Times‘s Best Illustrated Books of the Year

From the author of The Way Things Work, whose books have won numerous awards and sold millions of copies–and delighted readers young and old alike–this is a lively, detailed, and lavishly illustrated account of the building of a cathedral, and the community around it, through many decades.

Caldecott Medal winner David Macaulay’s imaginary Cathedral of Chutreaux remains a touchstone for budding architects as well as those interested in medieval history. Journey back to a long-ago world and visit the fictional people of twelfth-, thirteenth-, and fourteenth-century Europe whose dreams, like Cathedral, stand the test of time.

“Fascinating detail.” —The New York Times

“David Macaulay is nothing less than America’s Explainer-in-Chief.” —Providence Journal

This title has been selected as a Common Core text exemplar (Grades 6-8, Informational Texts: Science, Mathematics, and Technical Studies)