I wasn’t entirely sure what I was signing up for with this book: was it going to be a business biography; a popular science textbook; or have lots of pretty pictures of Lego builds through the decades? Enjoyably for me it turned out to be a mix of all three.

It looks at the formation of the company in 1930s Denmark, the values the provided the company framework and how it has changed and evolved in the present. It also looks at the detail of how and why Lego works the way that it does. Why it’s made from particular materials, why the bricks are the size they are and how new bricks are commissioned.

It’s written by someone with obvious passion for his subject who conveys his fascination to the reader with great skill. It isn’t a warts and all look at a corporation it’s an appreciation of ingenuity and passion.

I’d highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the hows and whys of the Lego brick system.

*** My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher ***

My house on currently a Lego construction zone. We have a quarter of a Eiffel Tower in the living room and a map for my office. My office has a lego town. This book is a behind the scene and a history of my favorite little bricks. There are great images and techinical drawings.

Thank you NetGalley and Unbound for an advanced copy! I need to go work on the map! #Lego #Legos #NetGalley

I love LEGO so this was a very interesting and informative read to find out more about the history of LEGO in great detail.

This book offers a fascinating and in-depth exploration of Lego, specifically tailored for adult enthusiasts.
The book is beautifully crafted, featuring illustrative photos that enhance its appeal. While it delves into technical aspects, it remains engaging throughout. The author’s passion for Lego is evident and transparently conveyed.
The primary focus of this book is to meticulously examine the development and success of Lego, including individual pieces and styles, from a technical perspective. If this sounds like your kind of read, then this book is definitely for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Unbound

A fascinating read with so much detail and interest about Lego. It's well worth buying the physical book I think, too.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for this preview copy.
I requested this because my family has a long history with Lego, both collecting and building the bricks. I also wanted a sneak preview to check if it was a suitable Christmas present for adults. yES IT IS!
I initially started dipping into the different chapters and reading a few pages then moving on, but then I realised I was hooked and had to start at the beginning. It is a book which lends itself to 10 minute dips because there are lots of photographs, an index, contents and highlighted facts..
I was going to say that my favourite chapter was monorails and rollercoasters and then I changed my mind to Rolling Along and then there was the chapter on Minifigures. I was spoilt for choice.
I shall be purchasing a copy as a present for my husband for Chris5mas as I am sure he will enjoy it especially the concept drawings for several of the kits.

A fun informative read. I enjoyed learning more about a hobby I enjoy. This was well researched and the anecdotes were fun

I think I was expecting a vibrant, colourful, exciting book about the history of Lego, but I actually got a very detailed, technical account of individual bricks, sets and eras.

I’m sure this is an absolute must for those Lego fans out there, but it wasn’t for me unfortunately.

This was such a fun book! My daughter is obsessed with Legos, so to get to dip into the history and behind the scenes was a real treat. I could totally see picking this up as a gift for the Lego lover in my life!

I found this an interesting read that I could dip in and out of. I particularly enjoyed the illustrations and photographs included of old Lego sets, prototypes, and popular sets. Konstanski is a self-confessed Lego fan, and this is apparent throughout. This is the perfect read for real Lego fans that would enjoy the details about the moulds used to reproduce Lego elements, the idea process, and the ethos of the company. I would recommend for adults rather than young Lego fans as sections could be quite dry and mathematical in places.
An enjoyable read.

I've been a fan of LEGO ever since I was young, and this book was like stepping back in time. I recognized so many sets from my childhood and loved hearing about their conception as well as the reasoning behind their eventual retirement or evolution. It was a wonderfully entertaining and educational experience!

With chapters on everything from signature colors, to LEGO Technic's innovative design, to Hollywood partnerships, it was so interesting seeing how sets come to life from little more than ideas and possibly some long forgotten molds. Additionally, as someone who is now very much an adult LEGO enthusiast, I loved seeing how design has grown to not only include sets that are targeted at younger builders, but older ones as well. Through interviews with dozens of past and present LEGO employees, Konstanski strove to uncover not only how these little bricks work, but also how they came to be, and I do believe he succeeded. The Secret Life of LEGO Bricks is truly a deep dive into the engineering of one of the world's most famous toys.

Thank you to Unbound and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is a really cool history of LEGO, both the original brick and its expansion, and the history of the people and brand of LEGO. It’s a good book to dip in and out of if you have specialty interest in different eras of LEGO. I have the double nostalgia hit of playing with the LEGO Space set passed down to me from my dad as well as the LEGO Star Wars and LEGO Harry Potter sets of 1999 and beyond. The inclusion of images from LEGO’s archives was very cool, and I would even love to see a fully visual dictionary of the history of the brand. This was a fun history lesson!

Daniel Konstantski’s The Secret Life of LEGO® Bricks is a must-have for adult LEGO enthusiasts, offering an unprecedented look into the evolution of the iconic brick. This visually stunning book chronicles the journey of LEGO bricks from their early hollow forms to the sophisticated pieces of today. With exclusive access granted by the LEGO Group, Konstantski dives deep into the design process, featuring interviews with the masterminds behind LEGO’s innovation—from designers to element testers.

The book stands out with its rich, full-color illustrations and behind-the-scenes content sourced from the LEGO Archive in Billund. Readers gain insight into the meticulous craftsmanship and engineering that have kept LEGO bricks virtually unchanged for over fifty years. The detailed exploration reveals how these simple, yet versatile pieces are central to LEGO’s ethos of creativity and connection.

The Secret Life of LEGO® Bricks is more than just a celebration of a beloved toy; it’s a tribute to the ingenuity that transforms ordinary bricks into limitless building possibilities. This book is an essential read for anyone fascinated by the magic of LEGO and the art of design.

If you love Lego this book is for you. It provides lots of history on Lego and includes lots of illustrations, sketches and photos. There is so much more to Lego than just the brick and it’s an interesting book for Lego fans. My family and I have always loved Lego so when I was given the opportunity to read this book I couldn’t say no.

As a lifelong fan of lego, and as someone who is encouraging the creativity of young children around me, this book was a magical read to understand the history of something so beloved.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! I love Legos and thought this would be an interesting read and it is but there are a lot more technical facts than what I am interested in reading about. I think this book would be better suited for someone with an engineering type brain. I did still enjoy the book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys this type of detail.

I will be preordering this title as a present for a Lego enthusiast. I have read the first two chapters and have enjoyed the delivery, the descriptions and the diagrams.

This was a fascinating peek behind the doors of the Lego company, showing such an in-depth perusal through their archives with the various themes and collections over the years. Like many, I was brought up on those awesome bricks and loved letting my imagination run riot when I was a child with tub after tub of Lego. Konstanski helped educate me on so many sets that I wasn’t familiar with and the way in which the company workshop not only the ideas but the actual pieces in their catalogue.

You never lose your love of Lego, and this tremendous trove of delights will make you giddy with nostalgia and envious for the sets you never had!

Is not the type of book I think it would be. With more photos it could be much interesting. The letter is so little that in some parts I could read. In the publisher edition I wish it will be correct.

As an adult, parent and lego enthusiast, I enjoyed this book.
This is a comprehensive history of Lego, how it is made and distributed.
This was truly such a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Unbound for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review