Great LEGO (R) Sets A Visual History

by Daniel Lipkowitz

This stunning LEGO® book is a visual history of more than 300 of the best LEGO sets, from the first Town Plans of the 1950s to today's dazzling sets. It comes with an exclusive retro-style LEGO set for you to build!

Packed with stunning photography and fascinating facts, Great LEGO® Sets explores the history of LEGO sets in magnificent detail. It showcases the best-ever sets in the LEGO Group's long history, including much-loved classic 1970s and 1980s Space and Castle sets and the latest LEGO® Star Wars™ and THE LEGO® MOVIE sets. Follow the timelines of LEGO set history, discover how LEGO sets are made and see hundreds of LEGO sets in amazing detail, superbly captioned and annotated.

Created in full collaboration with the LEGO Group, Great LEGO® Sets reveals exclusive insights from LEGO designers into how LEGO sets are made.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the Brick and Knob configuration and the Minifigure are trademarks of the LEGO Group. © 2015 The LEGO Group. Produced by Dorling Kindersley under licence from the LEGO Group.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Childrens

256 pages, Hardcover

First published October 6, 2015

Reviews

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, nostalgic read. Large pages with close-up photos and explanations of set features. Describes how sets are produced. Covers 1955-2015.

Notes
Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, then owner of the LEGO Group, didn't want violent conflict in sets. So early Castle models didn't have opposing sides, and designers of Space sets added pieces to weapon-like parts rather than including weapons.

Original 1978 castle was yellow because there weren't many gray elements, because Godtfred Kirk Christiansen didn't like that designers built tanks of gray bricks.

The skeleton was designed a decade before it appeared in a set, but the designer was scolded for designing a dead minifigure.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a visual history of some of the amazing Lego sets. It was wonderful to see many of the sets that I have owned as a kid known as classic. I still have many of them including the Black Seas Barracuda. So much fun and this book took me back to the hours that I spent with my Legos.

[Matthew Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

A forensic and brilliant examination of a plethora of great Lego sets - both myself and my six year old pore over this daily!

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

So. Much. Nostalgia.

Great LEGO Sets is a great course in LEGO history. I loved the insights into the design process of specific sets and sets in general, and the timeline at the front of the book gave a wonderful overview of LEGO's evolution. Content wise, I would have done some things differently (for example, I would have chosen Fort Legoredo to represent the Western theme; included the first Adventurers subtheme as more than a passing reference; and not represented the year 2014 with three sets from The LEGO Movie), but with so few pages to cover so much material, DK Publishing did a fine job offering something to every LEGO fan. I enjoyed the walk down memory lane, and also gained a better appreciation for themes I previously cared little about (namely Ninjago and Legends of Chima).

Now to dig out all those old sets....

[Dina · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting compendium of Lego sets. At the beginning of the book there is a visual timeline as well as an essay describing the process of developing a set. The visual history itself follows, focusing on individual sets with additional info about it as well as quotes from the creators for some of the sets. The history is divided by decades, starting with 1950s-1960s and culminating with sets from 2015. I must admit I learned quite a bit from this book, and enjoyed the process. I especially enjoyed learning more about some of the sets I own.

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book featuring several gorgeous LEGO sets, definitely a recommendation if you are a LEGO lover like me. :D