The Secret Life of LEGO® Bricks
By Daniel Konstanski
A celebration of the LEGO® brick, exclusively for fans
Publication date: Winter 2022
&
Sold out!
A Gift for a Friend
Give the gift of The Secret History of LEGO® Bricks to a friend or loved one.
They will receive the book when it is available in 2022, with their name in the back. Upon purchase, you will receive an email confirmation with a voucher to give to the gift recipient.
For gift voucher FAQs click here.
PLUS:
- One hardback book
- Recipient's name in the supporter list
Online Author Event
In this special book launch interview, Daniel will share some of the secrets of making the book and answer pre-submitted questions in a Q&A session. This will be held online in early 2022.
PLUS:
- One hardback book
- One name in the supporter list
LEGO® prototype element and minifigure
Only 500 available.The LEGO Group is offering for the first time ever, a brand-new, specially 3D printed prototype element on which you can give your personal feedback. It comes with its own AFOL-themed minifigure.
Printed in Billund, Denmark, the element is yet to be finalized so it will be a surprise when you receive it, but we can tell you that this isn't something you will have seen before. The element will present a new integrated function as a part of our exploration of new design and play functions. It is the first time the LEGO Group is asking AFOLs and fans to give their thoughts on a specific element while the technology is being developed.
Limited to one per household.PLUS:
- One hardback book
- One name in the supporter list
Unique LEGO® House VIP Tour - 2021
Only 1 pair of tickets available
Two days at the LEGO® House in Billund, Denmark including a unique VIP tour for two people, specially created by the team at LEGO House (one pair of tickets available to be taken on specific dates, limited to one per household – see details below).
Tour to be taken on either 17-18 September 2021 or 1-2 October 2021.
VIP Playful Tour: day 1 begins when you are met at the LEGO House information desk and taken on your very own exclusive tour around the LEGO House to explore the architecture and hear how 'starchitect' Bjarke Ingels constructed the house. You will experience some of the giant LEGO models up close and listen to anecdotes such as: how the giant LEGO dinosaurs get their roar and why the world’s biggest LEGO brick is now located in Billund.
VIP lunch at the MINI CHEF restaurant where you play to get your food. Build your meal with four LEGO bricks and scan the order at your table for the minifigure chefs in the kitchen to prepare your meal. Pick up your food from the unscrupulous serving robots Robert and Roberta, who occasionally have a screw or two loose but always manage the orders. Eat your lunch at a specially reserved table specially decorated for your VIP visit.
Exclusive meet and greet with Stuart Harris, LEGO House Master Builder*
Exclusive 1 hour LEGO build session, hosted and facilitated by Stuart Harris, LEGO House Master Builder*
Official farewell and handover of tickets for the following day, for you to explore the LEGO House again at your leisure.
One pair of tickets is available for purchase; the trip does not include the cost of accommodation or transport to or from Billund, Denmark.
*or another LEGO designer, if Stuart is not available
T&Cs:
• The rewards for the VIP tours are limited to one per household; Unbound reserves the right to cancel your purchase in the event of multiple purchases of the VIP Tour.
• The price of a LEGO House VIP Tour for two people includes a VIP Playful tour at LEGO House (90 min), VIP Lunch at the MINI CHEF restaurant, exclusive meet and greet and a one-to-one building session with a LEGO Designer, tickets to return to the LEGO House the following day.
• All communication on the LEGO House VIP Visit will be in English.
• LEGO fans taking part in the LEGO House VIP must be at least 10 years old. Children and teenagers between 10 and 17 years must be accompanied by an adult participant. This reward is limited to two people, and any attendees age 10-17 years old would count as the second person.
• Unbound will share the contact details of the purchaser of the LEGO House VIP Tour with LEGO House. LEGO House will contact the purchasers directly.
• In the event that restrictions around Covid to/from the purchaser’s country of origin prevent travel on the specified dates, LEGO House will be in contact to discuss an alternative.
For LEGO House VIP Tour FAQs click here.
PLUS:
- One hardback book per person, featuring the signature of author Daniel Konstanski
- Two names in the supporter list
Digital
PLUS:
- Your name in the supporter list
Hardback
Signed Hardback
A4 Artwork Print
PLUS:
- One hardback book
- One name in the supporter list
A2 Artwork Print
PLUS:
- One hardback book
- One name in the supporter list
LEGO® Wooden Elephant Art Print
Limited to 100 First-edition LEGO® Originals art print of the famous LEGO Wooden Elephant, watercolour artwork from c.1937 in a LEGO branded presentation sleeve This print has previously only been available to LEGO VIP members.
PLUS:
- One hardback book, featuring author Daniel Konstanski's signature
- One name in the supporter list
- Art Print dimensions: 25.5 x 31.6cm (10.03 x 12.44 inches)
LEGO® Wooden Duck Art Print
Limited to 100 First-edition LEGO® Originals art print of the famous wooden duck in a LEGO branded presentation sleeve. This technical drawing is based on the 1930s design for the Wooden Duck and dates from 1958. This print has previously only been available to LEGO VIP members.
PLUS:
- One hardback book, featuring author Daniel Konstanski's signature
- Your name in the supporter list
- Art Print Dimensions: 25.5 x 31.6 cm (10.03 x 12.44 inches)
LEGO® British Patent Art Print
Limited to 100 First-edition LEGO® Originals art print of a page from the British Patent Application for LEGO Elements, dating from 1968, in a LEGO branded presentation sleeve. This print has previously only been available to LEGO VIP members.
PLUS:
- One hardback book, featuring author Daniel Konstanski's signature
- One name in the supporter list
- Dimensions of Art Print: 25.5 x 31.6 cm (10.03 x 12.44 inches)
LEGO® French Patent Art Print
Limited to 100 LEGO® Originals art print of a page from the French Patent Application for LEGO DUPLO® Brick, dating from 1968, in a LEGO branded presentation sleeve. This print has previously only been available to LEGO VIP members.
PLUS:
- One hardback book, featuring author Daniel Konstanski's signature
- One name in the supporter list
- Art Print Dimensions: 25.5 x 31.6 cm (10.03 x 12.44 inches)
LEGO® Spanish Patent Art Print
Limited to 100 First-edition LEGO® Originals art print of a page from the Spanish Patent Application for LEGO Elements, dating from 1958, in a LEGO branded presentation sleeve. This print has previously only been available to LEGO VIP members.
PLUS:
- One hardback book, featuring author Daniel Konstanski's signature
- One name in the supporter list
- Art Print Dimensions: 25.5 x 31.6 cm (10.03 x 12.44 inches)
Double Hardback
Exclusive LEGO® House Dinosaur set signed by LEGO designer Nina Koopmann
Limited to 20 Only available from LEGO® House in Billund, Denmark, 40366 LEGO House Dinosaurs is a miniature version of the three gigantic dinosaurs in the Masterpiece Gallery. We have 20 of these sets signed by LEGO designer Nina Koopman, who designed the set itself.
PLUS:
- One hardback book
- One name in the supporter list
- Exclusive LEGO set signed by the designer
- Limited to one order per household
Exclusive LEGO® House set, signed by LEGO designer Rok Zgalin Kobe
Limited to 20 Only available from LEGO® House in Billund, Denmark, 21037 LEGO House is a LEGO Architecture-style model of the LEGO House itself. We have 20 of these sets signed by LEGO designer Rok Zgalin Kobe, who designed the set itself.
PLUS:
- One hardback book
- One name in the supporter list
- Exclusive LEGO set signed by the designer
- Limited to one order per household
Exclusive LEGO® The Wooden Duck set, signed by LEGO designers Stuart Harris and Jme Wheeler
Limited to 20 Only available from LEGO® House in Billund, Denmark, 40501 The Wooden Duck recreates in LEGO bricks one of the most iconic toys in LEGO history: the classic wooden duck produced from the 1930s to the 1950s. We have 20 of these sets signed by LEGO designers Stuart Harris and Jme Wheeler, who designed the set itself.
PLUS:
- One hardback book
- One name in the supporter list
- Exclusive LEGO set signed by the designer
- Limited to one order per household
Exclusive LEGO® The Tree of Creativity set, signed by LEGO designers Stuart Harris and Steen Sig Andersen
Limited to 20 Only available from LEGO® House in Billund, Denmark, and soon to be retired, 4000026 Tree of Creativity is a miniature version of the LEGO House’s central model, a 15.6 metre tall LEGO tree that reaches from the ground floor to the building's top floor. We have 20 of these sets signed by LEGO designers Stuart Harris and Steen Sig Anderson, who designed the model itself.
PLUS:
- One hardback book
- One name in the supporter list
- Exclusive LEGO set signed by the designer
- Limited to one order per household
Retired LEGO® Marvel Set
ONLY ONE AVAILABLE LEGO® Marvel Super Heroes The SHIELD Helicarrier. Set 76042 was retired in December 2017 but we have one available – specially retrieved from the 'LEGO basement' (with the possibility of a few slight marks on the box to prove it!).
PLUS:
- One hardback book, featuring the signature of author Daniel Konstanski
- One name in the supporter list
- One retired LEGO Marvel Super Heroes The SHIELD Helicarrier set
Retired LEGO® Star Wars Set
ONLY ONE AVAILABLE LEGO® Star Wars Ewok Village. Set 10236 was retired in February 2017 but we have one available – specially retrieved from the 'LEGO basement' (with the possibility of a few slight marks on the box to prove it!).
PLUS:
- One hardback book, featuring the signature of author Daniel Konstanski
- One name in the supporter list
- One retired LEGO Star Wars Ewok Village set
Retired LEGO® Creator Expert Big Ben Set
ONLY ONE AVAILABLE LEGO® Creator Expert Big Ben. Set 10253 was retired in February 2019 but we have one available – specially retrieved from the 'LEGO basement' (with the possibility of a few slight marks on the box to prove it!).
PLUS:
- One hardback book, featuring the signature of author Daniel Konstanski
- One name in the supporter list
- One retired LEGO Creator Expert Big Ben set
Retired LEGO® Lord of the Rings Set
ONLY ONE AVAILABLE LEGO® The Lord of the Rings The Tower of OrthancTM. Set 10237 was retired in August 2015 but we have one available – specially retrieved from the 'LEGO basement' (with the possibility of a few slight marks on the box to prove it!).
PLUS:
- One hardback book, featuring the signature of author Daniel Konstanski
- One name in the supporter list
- One retired LEGO The Lord of the Rings The Tower of OrthancTM set
Retired LEGO® Creator Expert Parisian Restaurant
ONLY ONE AVAILABLE LEGO® Creator Expert Parisian Restaurant. Set 10243 was retired in December 2019 but we have one available – specially retrieved from the 'LEGO basement' (with the possibility of a few slight marks on the box to prove it!).
PLUS:
- One hardback book, featuring the signature of author Daniel Konstanski
- One name in the supporter list
- One retired LEGO Creator Expert Parisian Restaurant set
Retired LEGO® Creator Expert Mini Modulars
ONLY ONE AVAILABLE LEGO® Creator Expert Mini Modulars. Set 10230 was retired in December 2013 but we have one available – specially retrieved from the 'LEGO basement' (with the possibility of a few slight marks on the box to prove it!).
PLUS:
- One hardback book, featuring the signature of author Daniel Konstanski
- One name in the supporter list
- One retired LEGO Creator Expert Mini Modulars set
Unique LEGO® House VIP Tour - 2022
Only 1 pair of tickets available
Two days at the LEGO® House in Billund, Denmark including a unique VIP tour for two people, specially created by the team at LEGO House (one pair of tickets available to be taken on specific dates, limited to one per household – see details below).
Tour to be taken on 1-2 April 2022.
VIP Playful Tour: day 1 begins when you are met at the LEGO House information desk and taken on your very own exclusive tour around the LEGO House to explore the architecture and hear how 'starchitect' Bjarke Ingels constructed the house. You will experience some of the giant LEGO models up close and listen to anecdotes such as: how the giant LEGO dinosaurs get their roar and why the world’s biggest LEGO brick is now located in Billund.
VIP lunch at the MINI CHEF restaurant where you play to get your food. Build your meal with four LEGO bricks and scan the order at your table for the minifigure chefs in the kitchen to prepare your meal. Pick up your food from the unscrupulous serving robots Robert and Roberta, who occasionally have a screw or two loose but always manage the orders. Eat your lunch at a specially reserved table specially decorated for your VIP visit.
Exclusive meet and greet with Stuart Harris, LEGO House Master Builder*
Exclusive 1 hour LEGO build session, hosted and facilitated by Stuart Harris, LEGO House Master Builder*
Official farewell and handover of tickets for the following day, for you to explore the LEGO House again at your leisure.
One pair of tickets is available for purchase; the trip does not include the cost of accommodation or transport to or from Billund, Denmark.
*or another LEGO designer, if Stuart is not available
T&Cs:
• The rewards for the VIP tours are limited to one per household; Unbound reserves the right to cancel your purchase in the event of multiple purchases of the VIP Tour.
• The price of a LEGO House VIP Tour for two people includes a VIP Playful tour at LEGO House (90 min), VIP Lunch at the MINI CHEF restaurant, exclusive meet and greet and a one-to-one building session with a LEGO Designer, tickets to return to the LEGO House the following day.
• All communication on the LEGO House VIP Visit will be in English.
• LEGO fans taking part in the LEGO House VIP must be at least 10 years old. Children and teenagers between 10 and 17 years must be accompanied by an adult participant. This reward is limited to two people, and any attendees age 10-17 years old would count as the second person.
• Unbound will share the contact details of the purchaser of the LEGO House VIP Tour with LEGO House. LEGO House will contact the purchasers directly.
• In the event that restrictions around Covid to/from the purchaser’s country of origin prevent travel on the specified dates, LEGO House will be in contact to discuss an alternative.
For LEGO House VIP Tour FAQs click here.
PLUS:
- One hardback book per person, featuring the signature of author Daniel Konstanski
- Two names in the supporter list
Frequently Asked Questions
How long will it take for my book to get dispatched?
Where can I get my book delivered to?
If I buy an ebook, when will I receive this?
Where can I buy a copy if there's none available through the Unbound website?
Where can I get my book delivered to?
What is crowdfunding?
How do supporter names work?
When will I get my book?
Will I be able to buy this book in shops?
Can I upgrade my reward level?
LEGO® fans have long wanted to learn the inside story of beloved LEGO bricks from inside the LEGO Group: to have long-standing questions answered and see the veil pulled back on how LEGO elements and products came to market – or didn’t – through the LEGO brick’s 70 year history. Such an authoritative telling of the story has never been possible – until now.
LEGO bricks are design icons and marvels of engineering. Despite remaining virtually unchanged for over 50 years, the brick remains the foundation of the LEGO System in Play, in which each brick connects to every other brick, allowing the construction of almost anything you can imagine. LEGO minifigures may be the friendly smiling faces of the LEGO world, but bricks – in all their different shapes and forms – are its very foundation.
We all know the sets – many of which will feature in this book – but how much do we really know about the bricks of which those sets are made? From the first hollow bricks to the invention of the tubes that made complex building possible, each brick innovation has enabled ever more realistic and complex feats of building.
In broad terms, the LEGO story is a familiar one: Ole Kirk Kristiansen releases Automatic Binding Bricks after World War II, his son Godtfred Kirk invents the System In Play after a fateful boat ride, the first play themes – Town, Space and Castle – are invented, followed by the decades of LEGO® Pirates, LEGO® Aquazone, BIONICLE®, and many others, and into the era of licensed themes and blockbuster movies.
But there is so much more: the story becomes even richer when told through the bricks themselves, from the charmingly blocky houses and castles of the early days, often built by Dagny Holm Jensen, the progenitor of today’s professional Master Builders, to the complex shapes and sideways building techniques of today – and themes and bricks which never even made it to market.
Developed from first inception by an AFOL book group – and voted for by a public competition on LEGO Ideas – this unique book sets out to explore this rich history in unparalleled detail. It is a LEGO history like no other, thanks to the LEGO Group granting unprecedented access. Author Daniel Konstanski will establish the entire path of how and why new LEGO bricks are made. Because this book is officially sanctioned by the company, he has been permitted to speak to all the relevant people involved at each step: from the so-called “rock stars” – the set designers – through the element designers, design masters, graphic designers, to elements testers and approvers, plastics technicians, and many more.
This book is the one fans have always wanted: a behind the scenes look into the story of the beloved LEGO brick and the company which makes it, and it will include a wealth of new visual material from the LEGO Archive in Billund. It truly is a book for AFOLs, by AFOLs – made with the full support and involvement of the LEGO Group.
- A full colour, high quality hardback with printed endpapers
- 279 x 229mm portrait with head and tail bands
- At least 350-400 colour and black and white photographs
- Approximately 368-400 pages, and 60-70,000 words
- Tons of amazing and exclusive pledge levels!
*Book designs, cover and other images are for illustrative purposes and may differ from final design.
Quick select rewards
LEGO® prototype element and minifigure
Only 500 available.The LEGO Group is offering for the first time ever, a brand-new, specially 3D printed prototype element on which you can give your personal feedback. It comes with its own AFOL-themed minifigure.
Printed in Billund, Denmark, the element is yet to be finalized so it will be a surprise when you receive it, but we can tell you that this isn't something you will have seen before. The element will present a new integrated function as a part of our exploration of new design and play functions. It is the first time the LEGO Group is asking AFOLs and fans to give their thoughts on a specific element while the technology is being developed.
Limited to one per household.PLUS:
- One hardback book
- One name in the supporter list
A Gift for a Friend
Give the gift of The Secret History of LEGO® Bricks to a friend or loved one.
They will receive the book when it is available in 2022, with their name in the back. Upon purchase, you will receive an email confirmation with a voucher to give to the gift recipient.
For gift voucher FAQs click here.
PLUS:
- One hardback book
- Recipient's name in the supporter list
