REVIEW: The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide

The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide ($24.95US book/$15.95 PDF) ***** (out of five stars)

When No Starch Press first sent me The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide to review, I was initially taken aback. I wondered if it would be overwhelmingly technical and, after all, what did I know about LEGO? I played with it when I was a kid, I've talked about making a LEGO movie for many years, and I guess I do have a rather large bin of it in my basement. But that's about the extent of my LEGO expertise.

My fears were relieved once I started reading through the book. Allan Bedford has written a guide on LEGO that takes the time to explain all aspects of it - from the different pieces (which are actually called elements), to building techniques, to methods on properly sorting and storing. The book is also laid-out very well and written in a plain, clear language that both children and adults will understand.

One the most unique features of the book is the Brickopedia that includes descriptions of about 300 LEGO elements accompanied by 3D image, catalogue number, notes, and year released. It is one of those gems that can pull childhood builders back into building as an adult as you go over the familiar pieces and remember what you used to create with them.

Some critics have complained that the images in the book are not in colour. I personally like the grayscale images (example on the right) and think it makes it appear more defined and crisp. And besides, colour images would have raised the cost of printing, and the book price itself, without adding anything of real value. Allan has spent a lot of time explaining and working on these images and you can really see his passion in them.

I would recommend this book to almost anyone, especially if you are an old-school LEGO fan, have children who play with LEGO, or are a mature adult who wants to build something with LEGO but is too embarrassed to ask! I must warn you though - this book will inspire you to build something after picking it up.

To purchase the book directly from No Starch Press, visit nostarch.com.

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The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide