An excellent background into a very large and popular toy company. I had a childhood full of LEGOs yet I knew nothing of the origins of this awesome and creative toy. Even though I never thought of LEGOs as my toys, they were always a way for creative output. The book I felt was rather informative, but written too simply, as if it was intended for a younger audience. This is the best and worst part of the book, pictures are great! Chances are you have played with Lego bricks in your lifetime. Whether it was simply building your own crazy, imaginative contraption with those bright-colored bricks; or assembling a large pirate ship per Lego directions. Maybe you’ve even been inside a Lego Store or Lego Land. Whatever your connection to Lego is, one can’t deny that Lego is a firm foothold in the toy world. Combining elements of building blocks, model sets, and puzzles; who doesn’t LOVE Lego?!Daniel Lipkowitz’s “The Lego Book” is a colorful and highly pictorial look at the history of Lego products. Ideal for the Lego collector, children, or merely for those seeking a “fun” coffee table book; “The Lego Book” is divided into various sections describing the history/background of Lego, playsets/themes, and Lego-related business ventures. Sadly, don’t expect an expose or in-depth look at Lego, as this is a low text book and merely highlights the business aspect without diving in too deeply (although the reader will learn interesting blurbs on the meaning of “Lego”, the material bricks are made out, etc).The reader can’t help but revert back to childhood with the detailed photos and set-ups of the various Lego toys. Offering details on the development and creation of the sets; the reader will begin to view Lego playsets as more than a toy. The more “adult” highlight features a step-by-step look at the factory process of the production of Lego bricks (which is very futuristic and Jetson-esque with robots performing much of the work). This section can possibly lose the interest of some of the child readers (although short enough to make it quick). Equally adult-stimulating is the look at the brainstorming and graphic design elements which begin the life of a Lego theme/playset. A great addition to “The Lego Book” are the sum-up pages at the end of each chapter which feature “Sets to Remember” within each theme. These pages take a historical look at the growth and development of the sets within a theme over time (example: various castle sets from the 70s to the present); which helps not only compare and contrast models but firmly entrenches the Lego world in the mind of the reader. Lipkowitz did create some confusion and lacked clarity in describing the difference between play theme sets and adventure sets. Although “The Lego Book” featured sub-sections for these, it isn’t clear to the non-Lego “pro”.“The Lego Book” doesn’t merely describe playsets, but also emphasizes all licensed and related Lego products such as Dupplo/baby product lines, clothing, magazines, books, clubs, video games, movies, street art, theme parks, etc. Positive selling points are the product codes captioned by each photo. This easily identifies the product for those readers who want to seek them out after reading (I tried this and it worked seamlessly). “The Lego Book” may not be an intense look at the Lego company or how they even came up with the Lego brick idea (Lipkowitz only indicates that a fire destroyed the company’s wood toy distribution so they focused on the plastic); but it is a fun and colorful look at the Lego product lines. If you don’t get the urge to head to your local toy store to pick up a playset after reading… then you probably shouldn’t even be reading this book. Live a little!
What do You think about Het LEGO Boek (2009)?
Meh, the same as every other Lego history.
—Alicia
