Author: Mike Doyle
Publisher: No Starch Press
ISBN: 978-1-59327-442-9

“LEGO offers a vast palette to work with. There are thousands of different LEGO elements, each available in an array of colors. With all the variety, I can create innumerable types of textures, which give each of my pieces a unique look,” writes Mike Doyle under his chapter heading in his book, Beautiful LEGO.

With two hundred and sixty-seven pages, this over-sized paperback book is for enthusiasts and builders of those famous little, hard plastic snap-together parts known as LEGO bricks. With a thick fold-out jacket cover, the book is a collection of artworks of built LEGO creations.

Containing the works of seventy-seven LEGO aficionados, there are almost four hundred beautifully photographed pieces of art. Divided in to thirty chapters along with a contributors section, designs by artist or theme are included.

LEGO artists such as Ramon and Amador Alfaro Marcilla, Jordan Schwartz, Nathan Sawaya, Mike Nieves, Arthur Gugick, Nannan Zhang, Lino Martins, Iain Heath and the author, Mike Doyle, have their own dedicated chapters with several illustrations each. Some creators have a short biography or personal explanation about their love for the well-known brick that began its life as a child’s toy.

Other chapters are by themes such as attic treasures, cubes, Alice in Wonderland, monsters, aliens, creatures, birds, dolls, urban planning, mosaics, vehicles, space, micro-bots, and faraway lands.

The colored photographs can cover the entire page or are depicted several on a page, listing artwork name and date with the authors’ names added in the themed chapters.  Some pieces have extra photographs of detailed close-ups showing their minute intricacies. The three-page contributor section is listed by artist’s last name, website, title, and page number but there is no mention of country of origin.

To say the creations are interesting is an understatement as one flips through the pages and notes the almost-too-real-looking telephones, sewing machine, or typewriter and the extremely detailed damaged Victorian home, police headquarters, World Trade Center and 9/11 Memorial or cosmic baseship. Fanciful snakes, stallions, seahorses, and spiders vie for readers’ attention while robots, roadsters, and rockets demand being noticed.

With little description of how a piece was assembled, this unauthorized or endorsed by The LEGO Group table-top book is geared toward the craftsmanship of using LEGO bricks that will stimulate any creative mind who is fascinated with LEGO bricks and how they can transform into beautiful inventions.

This book was furnished by No Starch Press in lieu of an unbiased review.

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