A fascinating insight into the history of this traditional favourite lego. I love the history and quotes from marketing etc.

I really love lego so this book was ideal and we are quite a lego family so really all enjoyed this. Loved it and would happily keep as a table book as could re-read it over again. It would be better if there were colour photos.

This book gave a great insight into Lego. Pretty cool if you are a fan of Lego and even if you are not it is still worth reading.

The Secret Life of LEGO Bricks is an encyclopedic monograph on all things LEGO by Daniel Konstanski. Released 19th Sept 2024 by Unbound, it's 336 pages and is available in hardcover format. It's unclear from the publisher's info, but at least the ebook ARC provided for review also has interactive hyperlinks throughout.

This is a gorgeously illustrated -very- deep dive into the history, design, stories, and people behind the universally beloved building bricks which have graced kids' toyboxes, adults collections, engineering student lounges, and geek-allied tech giants (Google, Microsoft, Blizzard, etc) for the last 80 years. The author is incredibly knowledgeable and writes interestingly and accessibly about LEGO. There are personal stories from numerous employees and hobbyists throughout the decades.

Some of the highlights from the book include all the photos from LEGO corporation's own historical archives as well as design schematics and facsimile design pages which aren't usually available to the public.There aren't any build plans included in the book, but just the historical collections and collector editions of sets from yesteryear are worth the price of admission. Mr. Konstanski knows LEGO (he's the editor of Blocks Magazine) and shares his expertise with readers in a fun and engaging way.

Five stars, awesome fun. It would be an excellent choice for public or school library acquisition, home reference, gaming groups, and similar.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I never played with Lego growing up. I didn’t get the appeal until I had kids. This book was an eye opener for all that went into the Lego-verse. A very cool book.

This is the most thorough book on LEGO history I have ever come across, which is impressive as both a reader and lifelong LEGO builder.

A fascinating insight into the history of this traditional favourite lego. I love the history and quotes from marketing etc. It got a bit too technical for me in places and could have benefited from more colour pictures.. it was nice to read but would appeal more to hard-core lego fans who would appreciate the technical side more. A different version with pictures might appeal more to the masses. A pleasure to read. Thanks to netgallery publisher and author

A very interesting premise with some fascinating archival information. However, this book could benefit from some better production. The text seems a bit oversized and out-of-pace in certain locations.

Have you ever played with LEGO bricks? Watched The LEGO Movie? Bought a set just for yourself, not for some child in your life? Then you are likely a LEGO fan and can appreciate the work Daniel Konstanski put into The Secret Life of LEGO Bricks!

In eleven chapters and 300+ pages, Konstanski takes the reader through the history of the LEGO company from its beginning as a wooden toy company to the concept of building with plastic bricks to the powerhouse company it is today. Along the way the reader gets to see part of the patent for that first plastic brick, then follow the process on how sets are designed, storyboarded, prototyped, and manufactured. The reader follows the evolution of the LEGO brand from sets being designed for kids to free build their imagination to sets to create familiar setting such as homes, fire stations, police stations to more exotic setting such as castles, pirates, and space travel. Then along came Technic and Bionicle along with licensed sets such as Star Wars, Harry Potter, Avengers, and the like aimed for adults as well as children. Along side that LEGO developed its own intellectual properties with Ninjago and its related TV series and stuffed toys which led to The LEGO Movie and its spin-offs.

So if you are interested from hearing from the people behind the LEGO products you love, read The Secret Life of Lego Bricks! You will not regret it!

This book is exceptional because of Konstanski’s unprecedented access to the LEGO Group and its archives in Billund, Denmark. He interviewed key figures in the company, from design masters to element testers, as well as the “rock star” set designers who are the creative minds behind the breathtaking LEGO sets that fans love. Their stories, combined with exclusive visual material from the LEGO archives, offer readers a truly unique behind-the-scenes look at the history and evolution of the LEGO brick.

If you’re an adult fan of LEGO, you’ll likely enjoy this book! Packed full of history and interesting background you’ll be sharing with all your family and whoever else is willing go listen! An enjoyable read.

This is a really interesting book on the history of LEGO from its beginning. The author's research is very good and he imparts a lot of knowledge and technical detail. This is not what I was expecting but if you have a real love of all things LEGO then im sure you will enjoy it. I would add that I feel it is aimed at adults and older children who are LEGO fans.

There are a lot of books about Lego for children and teenagers, but nothing really for an interested adult. This is definitely a book for adults or older children, and to me, it must be the definitive guide to all things Lego. I must give the book high praise for being so ungendered in a space that tends to be more male skewed. It covers everything a Lego fan could ever wish to know, and is packed with good quality full coloured pictures and diagrams.

As a fan of Lego this was a delight to read. Well researched and full of information. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to know the history of Lego.

The Secret Life of LEGO Bricks is a fascinating tale of the humble plastic brick that is known and beloved by the world. Detailing the history of the bricks from their inception, and pulling in marketing images, patent designs and quotes from the Lego team, this book is a comprehensive guide to the little plastic bricks and the designers behind them.

There are sections on patents and specific elements like animals, trains, tracks, cities, etc, explaining how and why sets and pieces were designed they way they were, and the design processes behind specific brick shapes like the "Earling brick" (headlight bricks with studs on the sides) or brick panels

A common theme throughout was "trust the children" - let the kids' imaginations run rampant. Another recurrent theme is the avoidance of combat. While factions were set up in sets such as Pirate or Castle sets, there are no "good guys" and "bad guys"..

The photos of retro sets brings back a huge wave of nostalgia for the old-school sets we had growing up, and it's wonderful to see the evolution of themes/designs over time and the development of Technic, powered, programmable sets, and of course the licensed sets we know today.

A fascinating, in-depth guide to the humble Lego brick, this is a must read for any AFOL.

~ Many thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ~

I requested this to see if it would be a suitable gift for my son-in-law who is a huge fan of Lego. It would be perfect for him, as I'm sure it will be loved by many an adult who still enjoys Lego.

I honestly didn't get this because I was interested in Legos, but because I have a nephew who's obsessed and I wanted to learn more. This book was AMAZING, though. In the beginning, I was intrigued at how much went into deciding on the basic brick. Then there are sections on things like trains, characters, and fandoms, which were fun. One of my favorite things was how the Lego people didn't realize that expensive, complicated sets would sell and they were surprised when the Millennium Falcon model flew off the shelves. I still have some old sets, and I'm trying to remember where they are so I can go play. Thanks so much to NetGalley for letting me read this

Daniel Konstanski's The Secret Life of LEGO Bricks, is overall, a delight any fan of LEGO will be happy to explore. It tells the story of LEGO's history as a toy company from their first designs through to the near present.

The narrative moves chronologically, with copious images used for marketing, internal drafting or other purposes. The text also features many pulled quotes from different interviews matching the chapter subject. There are lots of little details, but overall it shows how the company has always been focused on appealing to its audience and being adaptive to their desires. LEGO always has several themes at different stages of development and learns from past success and failures.

Recurrent themes are on encouraging imaginative play, being challenging without being difficult and avoiding clear depictions of combat. The latter was shown in having multiple teams or groups competing, but avoiding guns for many years. (For example police capture criminals, but then the criminals escape).

LEGO fans will enjoy the behind the scenes development processes and all the discussions of the LEGO themes that weren't for various reasons. One of these great lost themes was LEGO Rome.

Recommend to readers of business and marketing or LEGO fans.

Interesting. Not what I was expecting but interesting insight into the making of Lego. For the super fans.

What can you give a Lego fan they don't already have? Possibly the story and history behind the brand would work. I'm not a Lego fan but I do find it an interesting interest, and I do have at least one of them in my family. I've already heard from close Lego fans about some of the history but in this book, we find a pretty comprehensive story, giving details on such minutiae as how the final design of the bricks came to be realized. It's all a fascinating story, probably much more so for those who are more interest than me. Included are plenty of photographs and drawings to provide even more detail.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable book, and I rate it four stars. Thank you to Unbound and Netgalley for giving me a free copy of the book. I have provided my feedback voluntarily.