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Brick History: Amazing Historical Scenes to Build from LEGO
Brick History―the next in the series after the highly successful Brick City, Brick Wonders, Brick Flicks, and Brick Vehicles―is a journey into the most pivotal moments in world history. Using LEGO bricks, artist Warren Elsmore and his team recreate stunning historic scenes, from the beginning of life in the pre-historic era right through to the inauguration of Barack Obama. Brick History is a celebration of humanity and its achievements, and of moments in time that changed the course of history.
- GenresHistoryArtNonfiction
256 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 10, 2016
I review a variety of books, but Brick History by Warren Elsmore (from Allen & Unwin) was certainly a unique reading experience for me.
Containing detailed historical scenes made entirely from LEGO, Brick History begins with the birth of civilisation itself (Big Bang), and takes us through to the year 2011 with the Royal Wedding.
When it comes to which historical events to feature in a book like this, you know at the outset that many significant historical events won't make the cut and that you can't please every reader. Having said that, I was surprised to see just how many American events were included, knowing the author Warren Elsmore is from the UK.
The LEGO scenes were elaborate and it was obvious great care had been taken in their design to make them as historically accurate as possible. However, I just wanted more. I wanted to know how many LEGO pieces had been used in each scene or how many man hours it took to design and build each one.
Without this information, and only stylised photographs to go by, it was difficult to appreciate the magnitude of the effort and creativity involved.
There are several model projects with detailed instructions for readers to build themselves, and my personal favourite was a working sextant from Page 74 and a book of specimens from Sir Joseph Banks on Page 122.
Brick History - Amazing Historical Scenes to Build from LEGO by Warren Elsmore will appeal to readers of all ages and of course Adult Fans of Lego (AFOL).
* Copy courtesy of Allen & Unwin *
Containing detailed historical scenes made entirely from LEGO, Brick History begins with the birth of civilisation itself (Big Bang), and takes us through to the year 2011 with the Royal Wedding.
When it comes to which historical events to feature in a book like this, you know at the outset that many significant historical events won't make the cut and that you can't please every reader. Having said that, I was surprised to see just how many American events were included, knowing the author Warren Elsmore is from the UK.
The LEGO scenes were elaborate and it was obvious great care had been taken in their design to make them as historically accurate as possible. However, I just wanted more. I wanted to know how many LEGO pieces had been used in each scene or how many man hours it took to design and build each one.
Without this information, and only stylised photographs to go by, it was difficult to appreciate the magnitude of the effort and creativity involved.
There are several model projects with detailed instructions for readers to build themselves, and my personal favourite was a working sextant from Page 74 and a book of specimens from Sir Joseph Banks on Page 122.
Brick History - Amazing Historical Scenes to Build from LEGO by Warren Elsmore will appeal to readers of all ages and of course Adult Fans of Lego (AFOL).
* Copy courtesy of Allen & Unwin *
May 22, 2016
I received a print copy of this title from Allen & Unwin for review.
This is going to be a no-brainer success for anyone, young or old, who enjoys Lego. Obviously, the focus of this book is on historical events, but we were surprised (and delighted) to note that in between the historical depictions are instructions on how to make various related items, including but not limited to, a tiny model of the RMS Titanic, the aforementioned orrery, an Egyptian shadow clock and a brickish representation of Mahatma Gandhi.
The choice of these DIY models is inspired, because many feature building techniques that the run-of-the-mill Lego enthusiast may not have previously encountered, including how to create curves using straight bricks, and methods of building that allow for multiple changes in colour in a limited space, for instance. I can imagine young builders really getting stuck into this title and developing their building skills quite quickly, before going and showing off to their friends. The beginning of the book also features some handy notes on how to take photos of your completed models to show them off in their best light.
The only problem I had while reading is that the historical events selected here are very America- and Euro-centric. Obviously, in covering everything from the Big Bang onward in a finite amount of pages, there has to be some subjective selection regarding what gets put in and what gets left out. I was disappointed though at the lack of events from outside Europe and the US. For Asia, India and Oceania as a whole, we are only treated to six events out of seventy-six and of these, only the construction of the Terracotta Army and the handover of Hong Kong back to China (itself a Euro-dominated event) are depicted as a double page spread; the rest are given in instructional format. Africa is only represented in the election of Nelson Mandela as president of South Africa and again, only in an instructional format, rather than as a historical scene. Other readers may not even notice this, but I would have liked to have seen a broader scope of human history represented here.
Despite that small disappointment, this is still a ripping tome that will have adventurous builders busting out their obscure brick pieces and getting to work.
This is going to be a no-brainer success for anyone, young or old, who enjoys Lego. Obviously, the focus of this book is on historical events, but we were surprised (and delighted) to note that in between the historical depictions are instructions on how to make various related items, including but not limited to, a tiny model of the RMS Titanic, the aforementioned orrery, an Egyptian shadow clock and a brickish representation of Mahatma Gandhi.
The choice of these DIY models is inspired, because many feature building techniques that the run-of-the-mill Lego enthusiast may not have previously encountered, including how to create curves using straight bricks, and methods of building that allow for multiple changes in colour in a limited space, for instance. I can imagine young builders really getting stuck into this title and developing their building skills quite quickly, before going and showing off to their friends. The beginning of the book also features some handy notes on how to take photos of your completed models to show them off in their best light.
The only problem I had while reading is that the historical events selected here are very America- and Euro-centric. Obviously, in covering everything from the Big Bang onward in a finite amount of pages, there has to be some subjective selection regarding what gets put in and what gets left out. I was disappointed though at the lack of events from outside Europe and the US. For Asia, India and Oceania as a whole, we are only treated to six events out of seventy-six and of these, only the construction of the Terracotta Army and the handover of Hong Kong back to China (itself a Euro-dominated event) are depicted as a double page spread; the rest are given in instructional format. Africa is only represented in the election of Nelson Mandela as president of South Africa and again, only in an instructional format, rather than as a historical scene. Other readers may not even notice this, but I would have liked to have seen a broader scope of human history represented here.
Despite that small disappointment, this is still a ripping tome that will have adventurous builders busting out their obscure brick pieces and getting to work.
May 4, 2016
Read this aloud with the 5 year old. The Lego scenes were a lot of fun to look at and we both learned some world history too!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews