My doughter say "Just few picture, only black and white inside, so I don't like this book"
This book may fit for middle or high school students.

A true labor of love, this is the most comprehensive guide around! A must-have for LEGO devotees.

THE UNOFFICIAL LEGO BUILDER'S GUIDE is the best "Overview" of the LEGO building system available hands down. The book has been written for beginners as well as more advanced builders. It's a great reference guide with tips, techniques and definitions for users of all ages. Anyone can buy and build a LEGO "set", but this book will give you the tools needed to build your own creations. Once those "sets" are in a hundred pieces and you want to try your hand at your own creation, this is the guide you will reach for to help you do it right.

The chapters are written is a simple easy to understand way and the flow of the material is easy to follow. There seems to be just enough information on each page that the reader does not feel like he/she is always getting lost when following the examples or descriptions. The illustrations are in black and white and are very clear and easy to see. Some might complain that the illustrations are not in color but I personally prefer the black and white. When building your own creation the lack of color is actually less of a distraction than it would be if you were building something blue and white and the illustration was red and yellow.

One of the best features of the book is the Bricktopia, a categorized list of the most commonly used LEGO pieces. It includes an illustration of the piece, a description, size and part number. I personally find it helpful to browse thru this area to get "ideas" for building projects. I have noticed pieces I forgot about that has triggered a "thats the one I could use" thought to help with a project I am working on or have been thinking of building.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in learning the foundations needed to build projects from simple to the more elaborate. LEGO builders of all ages will benefit from buying this book. Buy this book and leave it out on a coffee table and see how long it takes someone to pick it it up!

Bedford's book offers everything and anything that one could consider useful to know about building with LEGO. I love the way he describes how to design things using grids and how to organize large collections of LEGO bricks. He's even designed a game in LEGO that others can play! I highly recommend this book to all ages of LEGO builders.

This book doesn't have any diagrams or projects to build. It's just a book that gives general advice, such as- have your lego organized so that you can build with it. It was a huge waste of money!

An Ok book, but I was hoping that the author would go into greater details.

An Ok book, but I was hoping that the author would go into greater details.

My kids are young enough that the basic building schemes illustrated here are interesting to them. Some are beyond them (ages 5,6,11). They were somewhat disappointed there weren't more "models" or building plans to follow. I like it, though, because it just shows the basics then makes them use their imaginations where anything is possible. So, it's useful, but not an item I'd rave about.

This book tries too hard to include everyone. As such it has large sections on the most basic and simplistic ideas, such as offsetting bricks in walls, and what is meant by 'scale'. But also sections on fairly advanced design techniques, and how to organize huge lego collections. In the end, I belleive the book won't satisfy either the new collector learning about simple lego idea, nor the experienced lego builder.
The list of lego pieces is somewhat interesting if only for including the date of introduction of the pieces, but even though it takes up a large portion of the book, it is by necessity very incomplete. Most of the ideas in the book are used in many lego sets, so will be allready familiar to people with more than a couple of sets themselves. The book doesn't mention Modulex lego (which would be of some interest to many collectors). It also includes the incorrect factoid that 6 standard identical 2x4 bricks can make 102,981,500 possible different structures (the real number is 915,103,765).

Good points are:
Explanation of the Legoland scale models and creating figures at that scale.
Full guidelines on making a lego 'sculptural' sphere out of standard bricks.

The Unofficial Guide helped me to figure out the next step to helping my sons with Legos. We have several kits and its all a big mess. However, now with this book, I have been able to organize my thoughts and come up with a way to make Legos a good learning tool. The book has many helpful tips about Lego building techniques and terminology. Its a great reference book. Specifically, the Brickopedia section in the back shows that each part has a part number. In addition, the reference to the BrickLink web page to order missing parts was helpful. I also sent an email to the author and Mr. Bedford responded within 24 hours with a kind and courteous note. Its a great book with an honest and helpful author. Five stars!

this isn't very understandable. I didn't like it at all

As a adult fan of Lego (AFOL) it was a helpful guide in helping me
to design and build my own creation (MOC).
I now have detailed plans combined with creativity and it has begun
to take shape.
Like in the real world building your own house;
With this book you become archetect, contractor and builder.
The book gives a lot of infrmation in 320 pages!

As a adult fan of Lego (AFOL) it was a helpful guide in helping me
to design and build my own creation (MOC).
I now have detailed plans combined with creativity and it has begun
to take shape.
Like in the real world building your own house;
With this book you become archetect, contractor and builder.
The book gives a lot of infrmation in 320 pages!

Lego may be the most versatile and beautifully designed construction toy of all time. It's an ingenious blend of engineering, art and fun. Read Allan Bedford's book and you'll probably agree!

I've been a Lego fan for over 40 years, but most of the time I've just been reliving childhood memories from the mid-1960s - occasionally building houses out of red and white bricks, then putting them back into storage. Allan Bedford's book has changed all that. It has shown me what I've been missing all these years!

The creative - and yes, artistic! - potential of Lego is absolutely mind-boggling. Bedford's book explores areas most people couldn't even imagine. There's something for everyone: mosaics and sculptures for artistic types, buildings and vehicles for aspiring architects and engineers, microscale projects for those who prefer or need to keep things really small (note: it's the best way to build things at work without attracting too much attention!), and even sorting and storage tips for serious builders and collectors. And be warned: after you read this book, you won't be able to resist buying a LOT more Lego!

A special feature of Bedford's book is the Brickopedia - an appendix illustrating hundreds of Lego pieces, including the year each was introduced. It alone is worth the price of the book. It made me appreciate the truly brilliant design of the Lego elements that have appeared since the 1960s.

Once you're familiar with the newer Lego bits in the Brickopedia, you'll be delighted with the way they can be used in different Lego constructions. Just recognizing them is half the fun: the front of Santa's sleigh can show up as part of an automobile spoiler; a shark's tooth can morph into the visor of a traffic light; and a snowman's nose can be used as a fire hose nozzle.

One of Picasso's most loved and whimsical sculptures is a bull's head fashioned from a bicycle seat and a pair of handle bars (Tête de taureau,1942). It took artistic vision and a playful creativity to put these components together. Lego opens the door to the vision and creativity that reside within us. Allan Bedford's book is the long-awaited key!

Who knew there were so many ways to put bricks together? I loved the part showing building techniques which I hadn't tried before. The tips on microscale building allow you to build large scenes with less bricks than other scales. There is a lot of content here, and I highly recommend it.

Eric and Barbara Strand Frisco, TX

I was able to review this book before publication and I am very impressed with it. It's not a book full of instructions so a person can build, but a book full of information so people can build their own things. This alone is worth the price to me.

To make things better, Allan takes the time to explore different scales. Building is not confined to a specific size and the challenges of each scale are looked at and explained.

For me, this is a great value, especially if a reader wants to go beyond his building level, whatever it is. I have been a builder for 7 years now, and I learned things from the book.

So if a person is really curious about the possibilities of LEGO building, they need this book.

Rather, this book is for those who are interested in the characteristics, the proportions, the considerations, and the general techniques involved in building with one of the best inventions of all time, LEGO. This is the book for the person who understands the old saying: "Give a man a fish--feed him for a day, teach him to fish and feed him for a lifetime." This book is for those who want to "learn to fish" so to speak. I purchased this book in December 2005 for my then 8-year-old daughter as she had recently begun so show extended interest in building her own designs from LEGO elements. Subsequent to receiving, and reading, the book her models began to take on a more sophisticated construction as her understanding of the the LEGO system deepened. I do not believe that this book is too technical for a child as some other reviewers have mentioned. It is also not overtly simplistic either and can provide a lot of help to the adult LEGO enthusiast as well. Buy the book, read it, follow the examples, learn the techniques and then let you imagination go and build what you want with confidence-that is what LEGO is all about.

I should have listened to the other raters. I thought my 10 yr old son would be able to find plans to build some lego things so I wouldn't have to buy so many kits. I did find the accompanying website info helpful. The book was just too technical for a child.

My husband and I reviewed this book and found it too technical. He is an aeronautical engineer and able to fix or build nearly anything. Our sons are Lego fanatics and I bought this book with the hope of it being a jumping off point for them and my husband.

The reviews I read prior to purchase led me to believe that it would be a good book for our Lego builders.

I wish there was something else in between besides Lego contraptions (by Klutz) and this book.

If you have/are a lego fan BUY THIS BOOK.

This book reads well and serves as a handy refence tool because of the 57 page Brickopedia.On the whole it helps to remind you that lego encorages you to think outside the box and to come up with new ways to use that same set of bricks.

My favorite chapter is 6 Microscale Building. All the chapters have a overview then the author takes you into steps for producing that type of projects. Chapter 6 has the Empire State Building as the design & build project.

The design grids are very very useful for planing that next buying spree at one of the brick sites.

To finish I really love this book.

This book has a lot of great models to build and teaches some great builing methods and explains many different aspects. It has a very good appendix listing almost every element and providing graphs that are a huge help in building projects. The only two negative feelings i have for the book is that it really is the only book out on the subject. You do not have a choice to pick another book. One other thing is that on the supporting website, which is nice, they do not have the instructions posted yet.(by the time you read this they might have posted them, www.apotome.com) If your a serious collector you need this book, it is worth the price to me.

There are not many toys at Grandma and Grandpa's for our grandchildren to play with so when we came across a LEGO set that used to belong to our son we hoped that it would be a good way for the grandchildren to develop their creative skills. However, we are definitely what you would call "LEGO illiterate". We didn't know where to begin until someone recommended Allan Bedford's book, `The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide'. We purchased it last fall and now look, at least to our grandchildren, like we know all there is to know about LEGO. The Brickopedia is especially helpful and although our projects will be small for awhile with the help of this well written and well organized book we will move on to bigger and better things in the future. LEGO is a great way to spend quality time with grandchildren and can become addictive thanks to the help found in Allan's book.

This review was originally posted at bamcat.com

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 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.

Brian McKechnie
bamcat.com

My ten-year-old LEGO-fanatic son and I just love this book. I've read almost the entire thing out loud to him, half a chapter each night for his bedtime story, because it fascinates BOTH of us!

The information in this book is presented in a friendly way that never talks down to the reader, yet is not overly technical and dry. It's FUN to read. The author's enthusiasm for LEGO shines through on every page. As a homeschooling mom, I feel that it's quite educational, too -- my son is learning about ratio, proportion, planning ahead, logic, design, etc, etc.

He used to keep his LEGOs in a few giant tubs, but it was really hard to find the right ones when he wanted to build a model (those tiny pieces do sink to the bottom). We've followed the "sorting and storing" advice in this book and now we have nice plastic shoeboxes and sandwich containers filled with various LEGO elements, and are having so much more fun building together. We had a great time sorting his LEGOs because now we have names for all the parts -- one box is filled with 2xN bricks, one is filled with plates, one contains wheels, windows, and slopes, etc. And when we build together we can easily find just what we're looking for.

This is not merely a book of instructions, although it does contain several interesting models to build, including a sphere, that demonstrate some important building principles. It's a richly informative book that will inspire you and your kids to come up with your own new and unique models. We're recommending it to every LEGO fan we know.

I bought this book as a Christmas gift for my 13 year old son (it was on his wishlist) and do not regret it. The ideas and instructions are easy to follow and every page creates more and more interest. I am a LegoLand California passholder and speaking with actual Lego MasterBuilders this is the BEST book on the market(it should have been written years ago). Why didn't the Lego people write such a informative book? We may never know the answer..... but Allan did, and for that we are extemely greatful. If you Love Legos, this book is an absolute MUST to have -- go on, buy it..... what are you waiting for??

The Unofficial LEGO Builders Guide is the type of book that encourages LEGO fans of all ages to read and work together on projects with the new ideas and suggestions obtained from the book. I LOVED the brickopedia from the name to the contents. I hope there are plans for another book but what possibly could surpass this book?

I bought it, and I don't regret. The book contain some good ideas. When that is said, I would like to point out that there is allso a lot of 'air' in this book, things the kids normally finds out by themselves, or, you wish they should find out as a part of the play (and if they don't by first attempt, showing them is not the way). If you consider this book as written for AFOL's, you get about the same conclusion, some good ideas and a lot of air.
I do look forward to see more of this kind of books. This book only contains fractions of what it actually could.

I purchased this book for my 9 yr old grandson because he loves, loves Legos. He has many Lego sets including the Lego Chess set. Whenever I hear of a new Lego book I buy it. GG

Like many kids I had a few Lego sets as a kid. And like a lot of kids I stopped playing with them at some point and eventually gave away the sets I had. So when a friend recently gave me a copy of The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide to check out, it was a real surprise at how quickly all those great memories came flooding back of building with Lego. One look at the retro-looking cover on this book and I knew there had to be some cool stuff inside. Indeed, there is!

This book isn't just a set of instructions for a bunch of models or a price guide for collecting sets. It's an overview of the entire Lego system and takes you from knowing what a brick is, right up to designing your own model. Inbetween, there are discussions about scale, building Miniland-sized characters, how to build a sphere and how to build 'jumbo' bricks which look like a blast to make. The pictures are in black and white. At first I thought this would make it difficult to follow along with the examples but it was no problem at all. The images are crisp and clean and with no color it allows you to focus on the bricks being used in the technique without worrying about which color they should be. If I'm gonna' build my own models I'm gonna' use my own colors anyway!

What surprised me the most was, even though I hadn't touched a Lego set in years I found myself wanting to build some of the examples in the book (especially the sphere!!) and went out and bought a couple of those big tubs of assorted parts. The book has helped me rediscover a fond hobby from my past. I'm hooked - again. The author's easy-to-grasp explanations of the various concepts have really helped me feel like I can build some of the ideas that must have been in my head since I was a kid.

One of the coolest parts in the book is the Brick-O-Pedia. This is a big section at the back that shows pictures and descriptions of hundreds of lego pieces. It's worth the price alone! I found it interesting to see when some of the parts were released and Bedford also suggests different uses for many of them.

If you are a kid or a kid at heart who loves Lego then you need this book. If you're an adult who wants to get back into the hobby or help out a child or younger relative then you'll also find this book extremely useful. In my case it's allowing me an easy return to a simpler time. I'll probably sit down with my nephew the next time he visits and share this very cool book with him. I know he''ll enjoy it as much as I have.

Bought this for my 10 year old - not exactly what I expected. Too complicated - intended for much older readers? Has alot of useful information but not kid friendly.

I have to admit, this is one of the most interesting books I've read all year! Expecting simply a discussion on the best way to build a wall, I was surprised at the amount of awe the author is able to instill in the reader regarding those little plastic bricks. LEGO's are actually quite amazing. As the author points out, the LEGO company adheres to some of the strictest quality control measures. Releasing a brick that is too tall or two short is unacceptable, as your creations simply wouldn't fit together.

The author takes almost a Zen-like approach toward LEGOs. To truly build, you must first understand the brick. So he helps you understand the brick. I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's truly fascinating stuff. After discussing the brick and basic building techniques (you would be disappointed if there wasn't a discussion on how to build the best wall, wouldn't you?), the author shows how to build for different perspectives. Sure you can build things the same size as those little LEGO people, but you can also build things that are much bigger. The challenges and tips for doing just that are outlined.

I always wondered how some people were able to create something amazing from scratch out of their LEGO collections. Well, I still may not be able to create something out of thin air, but the author does show how to plan your creation. In fact, he shows how he designed and built a model of the space shuttle-and it all looks so easy. It simply comes down to careful planning, having the right LEGO parts, and a little bit of time.

One thing I thought was really cool about this book was the appendix. Here the author shows every single LEGO piece, its part number, and a description of what it's good for.

This is really an amazing book. You can feel the great respect the author has for LEGOs, and when you're done, you feel the same way. I also really enjoyed the author's approach to LEGO building, as it was something I've never seen before. This is a great gift for that LEGO builder in your life.

Have you ever noticed something remarkable when you look at a pile of LEGO pieces? They are remarkably simple aren't they? Kind of like looking at different parts of a system! Author Allan Bedford, has written a great book that addresses the system itself and its greatest function: the building of LEGO models.

Bedford begins by discussing the LEGO system and what makes it so amazing. Next, the author covers some of the best ways to connect bricks and make your models strong. Then, he looks at some very basic building techniques through the use of a train station model, as they apply to a minifig-scale structure. The author continues by showing you how very unique miniland scale figures can be created from mostly basic bricks, plates and slopes. In addition, you'll also learn how to build a model that is larger, not smaller, than the real life object it represents. The author also focuses on the opposite technique, something called microscale building. Next, the author walks you through the principles behind creating a basic sphere. Then, you will learn the basics of mosaic--the artwork consisting of patterns or pictures created on a surface using stones, tiles, bricks, or even glass. The author continues by defining in detail what mosaic really is. In addition, the author focuses on you, the builder, working toward designing the models you want to make. In addition, he also covers three different variations on the LEGO hobby. The author also asks and answers the question: "Should I sort by color or shape?" Finally, he covers the most important lesson in this outstanding book: Simply surrounding yourself with the tools, of any description, that help you build LEGO models as easily as possible.

This excellent book offers a broad spectrum of topics all connected by the thread of building real models with actual plastic bricks. Thus, Bedford has gone to a great extent to present best practices, tips, and techniques that you can apply to almost any LEGO building project .

This is a really interesting book. It's a best practices guide for Lego. It teaches how to plan and sculpt Lego like nothing I have read before. It's definitely not the type of book that you get with a Lego kit.

There is also a reference section at the end of the book which covers all of the different types of Lego pieces, which is really handy.

My reservation is that the book could have been larger. The author could have presented more examples to illustrate different types of Lego techniques. So if anything my four star rating is just my way of saying; more, more!

LEGOs have been around since 1958 and since that time they have matured over the past 40+ years from the early days of the simple bricks of the early years. Starting with a base # of bricks that could be counted on 2 hands, now there are literally dozens upon dozens of different pieces (note I didn't say bricks) from which a limitless # of combinations can be created! The only thing stopping a child (or adult) is the limits of ones imaginations... I truly believe that LEGOs are one of (if not) the greatest toys to ever be created and I used to sit around for hours on end, creating whatever I could think of, letting my imagination run wild!!

Allan Bedford's book "The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide" is the perfect reference for any person that loves creating with LEGOs now or when they were a child. The author provides readers with a little bit of the history behind LEGO blocks and spends a fair amount of time writing about techniques that can be used to build your LEGO creations. The typical person that plays with LEGO blocks will most likely buy a kit and create whatever is marketed on the packaging of the set you are building with, but this is only the most basic way of enjoying LEGOs. The real joy that comes from playing with LEGOs is building something completely brand new, and with this book you will have a much easier time learning how to design better beforehand and what LEGO engineering practices work best in different situations.

One of the parts I enjoyed most about this book is the Brickopedia section at the back of the book. This section provides information on the nearly 300 pieces of the LEGO system, not only what the dimensions are, but the year that each piece was introduced. I didn't realize that LEGOS had added so many blocks in the past 20 years, but I was quickly educated that LEGOs had not only stuck around since I was a child, they had continued to mature and grow for new generations of children.

This is a fantastic book for any person that enjoys playing with LEGO blocks and wants to improve their building ability or enhance their experience of playing alone or with their children for years to come. My only complaint about this book is that I wish more examples had been provided with a step by step guide of how to create particular parts or common items you might build in many creations. Overall this doesn't detract from the book that much, it's more constructive criticism regarding how I think the book could be even better than it is.

***** RECOMMENDED

I've been fortunate enough to be able to review this book before it went to press. I loved it, and said as much to the publisher. When I recieved my review copy of the final book last night, I was even MORE impressed.

This book is packed for a great content for any age and/or skill level. Been a LEGO builder for decades? Want to start building as an adult? As a kid? Then this book is for you.

Great work to the author!