The Ultimate LEGO Book [Hardcover]

DK Publishing (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Discover the LEGO Universe! This unique book brings DK style to the world of LEGO, one of the world's best-selling toys. It presents amazing LEGO sculptures -- from life-size dinosaurs, to a time machine, to Einstein's head, more than 15 feet tall. It features stunning original photography from LEGO model-making centers, as well as the LEGO Group's archives, parks, and competitions. It also inventively introduces children to some of the greatest cities in the world -- in LEGO form.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"This book is not a book about a toy. It is a book about an idea, a set of values, and a long-term commitment to empowering children to use their creativity and build their imagination."

So states Lego Group president Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen in his introduction to this fascinating, visually exciting tribute to Lego bricks and the people who play with them. Lego "maniacs" are no mere invention of Lego Group's industrious marketing machine. Enthusiastic fans of the ingeniously designed, colorful plastic building blocks do indeed exist, and in vast numbers--as of 1996, an estimated 300 million children and adults had played with Lego bricks since the first one rolled off the presses in 1949. (How many yellow knob-headed Lego people populate the earth today? A cool 2.3 billion.)

The visual wizards at Dorling Kindersley have labored together with the staff at Lego to assemble a hefty, photo-rich book essential to the library of any maniac (or maniac emeritus). The Ultimate Lego Book recounts the company's early history as a one-man operation back in the 1930s and subsequent creation of its first plastic "automatic binding brick," to the contemporary construction of myriad Legoland theme parks.

Trivia buffs will appreciate the playful but detailed graphic time line (first Lego window, 1957; first wheel, 1962; first dolphin, 1995). Everyone will love the pages of imagination-stretching constructions, from the small but clever (an unmistakable Elvis, complete with pompadour) to the overwhelmingly detailed (a meticulous model of Grand Central Station) to the downright strange (a life-size space helmet with visor and gas mask). The Lego universe includes a Mona Lisa replica, a 10,500-piece pelican, and even a yellow submarine. Enjoy! (Ages 6 to 106) --Paul Hughes

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: DK Publishing (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078944691X
• ISBN-13: 978-0789446916
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 9.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #233,631 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

113 of 115 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ultimate Lego Book "Builds" Interest!, November 22, 1999

By 

Carol (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ultimate LEGO Book (Hardcover)

I recently purchased the Ultimate Lego Book as a birthday present for my 11 yr. old son. He was so excited and interested, that he begged me to take it to school. Not only are the pictures intriguing, but it was fascinating to read about how designers develop ideas, how computers are involved and and the history of Legos. As an adult, I found myself just as interested as my son in reading each page and looking at the designs! It encourages the child to read and to think of other ways to be creative! An enjoyable gift to give as well as receive!

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LEGO is the best toy ever!, January 3, 2000

By 

"clewis3" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ultimate LEGO Book (Hardcover)

I must admit, I don't own this book. I haven't read all of it either. It's my little brothers, he's read most of it. When I was somewhere around 2 (that was almost 13 years ago) my uncles bought me a a bunch of huge containers of LEGO bricks. I have been endlessly amused by the stuff ever since (for the record, I'm the only girl my age I know of who still likes to build with it). Anyway, I was flipping through this book soon after my brother got it thinking "Hey! This is pretty cool!" Believe it or not I really didn't think there were people who's job it was to make huge LEGO models out of any peices they want. This is one of the many interesting things I picked up just from leafing through it in abouit five minutes. On top of that the pictures are great. So, if you like LEGO at all or know someone who does you should pick it up. It's got tons of stuff any LEGO maniac would find fascinating.

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ideal Way for Youngsters 6-11 to Add Lego Knowledge, June 20, 2001

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Ultimate LEGO Book (Hardcover)

My older son and younger nephew are both dedicated Lego fans. Beginning around age 6, they could not get enough information about Lego . . . nor enough Lego sets. Thousands of dollars later their thirst is still not slaked. This book is less expensive than most of the better Lego kits, and will bring many hours of pleasure to those who love Lego. If you are a teenager, you will probably find this book a bit elementary and will likely see it as a four-star book. If you are an adult, you will mainly enjoy the illustrations of amazing Lego models that the master builders have created, and this will be a three-star book for you.

The book has a little of everything. You get a thumbnail background on the company's history, key dates for major innovations, how master builders are selected, major exhibits from the three LEGOLAND parks (in Denmark, the U.K., and California), and the latest in robotics, software and merchandise. The book also shows how Lego can be used to create scale models for explaining ideas (such as the ones for how Lego blocks are manufactured), as well as bringing major buildings to life (such as the 21-foot-tall Empire State Building). The final section shows how Lego blocks can be employed to create sculpture and artistic images.

"Our aim is to stimulate children to become masters of their own lives . . . ." And Lego has been successful at that. While most children start out slavishly following the kits, soon they jumble all of the pieces together and just start making up their own objects. That's when Lego's flexible potential becomes important. In fact, that's how master builders are qualified, by taking a random group of components and seeing what they can build in 45 minutes. In essence, Lego is a tool for creating something physical out of a mental concept using virtually identical pieces of different sizes and colors.

Many Americans will not have seen any of the LEGOLANDs, and the glimpses of what models are found there will probably whet the appetite for more, probably only to be satisfied by an actual trip.

The book could have been improved by providing more technical detail on some of the most interesting models, so that those who are interested in creating similar models would know what components are needed and in what quantitites (and at what cost). Another potential improvement would have been to have included sections about some of the best model builders, where they could describe how they think about creating models.

The main drawback of the model illustrations is that many are too small to give you a full sense of what the models look like. Fold-out pages with adults standing next to the Lego models would have helped in a number of cases.

On the other hand, I am unaware of any other book about Lego that approaches this one for quality, scope and reader interest. So, if you know some who loves Lego, you should probably give them this book as a gift before they buy it for themselves. You'll be a hero or heroine!

After you finish this book, I suggest you consider how you can establish greater Lego challenges that will help create more problem-solving ability. For example, you might encourage your child to see what models can be made with the fewest pieces or the smallest variety of pieces.

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