DAVID SALARIYA

Welcome to My Website
I’m am a creator, designer, writer, and publisher of children's books, dedicated to promoting lifelong literacy. Since 1978, I’ve combined factual content, engaging design, and humour to make complex subjects accessible and entertaining for young readers. I also write under the names David Stewart and Max Marlborough.

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Some of the most recognised series I’ve created and designed include Spectacular Visual Guides, You Wouldn’t Want To Be..., A Very Peculiar History, and many, many others.

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The Salariya Book Company
In 1989, I founded The Salariya Book Company and its imprints - Book House, Scribblers, and Scribo - publishing over 1,100 titles, many translated into 35+ languages and published worldwide. The company produced non-fiction, picture books, and young adult fiction, earning recognition such as the IPG Children's Publisher of the Year and multiple awards, including three (TES) Times Educational Supplement book of the year prizes.

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I also launched the Salariya Stratford Picture Book Prize to support emerging talent in publishing. In 2022, I closed my company, recognising not only the challenges faced by small independent publishers in a conglomerate-driven industry but also the creeping fatuity that often defines decision-making in today’s corporate landscape.

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Explore My Work
This website is a hub for everything about the books I’ve created, designed, and written, published by The Salariya Book Co. and international publishers like Scholastic, National Geographic, Random House, and more.

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You’ll also find my journal, where I write about publishing, design, history, and interviews with the many ‘makers of books’ - the hugely talented creative army behind every great book.

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Beyond the Books

Portfolio
Take a look inside my portfolio to see how a spark of an idea evolves into a published work. Beyond words and books, I take photographs, paint, draw, and work in metal, a craft I began as a silversmithing student. I also share glimpses of my life beyond publishing.

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Welcome to the Museum of Creativity
This website stands as a tribute to the collaborative art of publishing - a celebration of the writers, illustrators, editors, and publishers who worked to bring my ideas to life and shared them with the world. Here, you’ll find the stories behind the stories, the names behind the books, and the legacy of a lifetime spent creating works to hopefully educate, inspire, and delight.

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The books featured here have shaped over four generations of readers and continue to reach new audiences thanks to ongoing reprints. This museum ensures that the creative journey behind these old works - and the people who made them possible - remains illuminated, a lighthouse in a shifting sea of publishing history.

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With this chapter preserved, I now turn to a new page and new adventures, leaving this legacy here for others to explore, remember, and celebrate.