David Stewart author page

David Stewart biography

David Stewart is a pen name used by British children’s author, illustrator, designer and publisher David Salariya. Salariya studied illustration and printmaking at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design and went on to work as a freelance illustrator and book designer before founding The Salariya Book Company in 1989.

Writing as David Stewart, he is particularly associated with the You Wouldn’t Want to Be… series of illustrated children’s non-fiction. Salariya created and designed the series in 1999, with David Antram illustrating many of its titles. The first book, You Wouldn’t Want to Be an Egyptian Mummy!, was published in 2000 and explains ancient Egyptian mummification through a second-person narrative that places the reader within the historical setting.

Other books written under the David Stewart name include You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Roman Soldier!, You Wouldn’t Want to Be Tutankhamun! and You Wouldn’t Want to Sail on the Titanic!. The series uses first-person and second-person storytelling, illustrations and factual material to introduce children to episodes and experiences from history.

Salariya has created and designed more than 60 children’s book series and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a member of the Society of Authors. The Salariya Book Company was acquired by Bonnier Books UK in 2022, and titles from its catalogue are now published under Bonnier’s Hatch Press imprint.

A new Hatch Press edition of You Wouldn’t Want to Sail on the Titanic!, written as David Stewart and illustrated by David Antram, was published in February 2024.