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Book Cover for: The Cult of Lego, John Baichtal

The Cult of Lego

John Baichtal

Gold Medal Winner:Independent Publisher Book Awards -Popular Culture/Leisure (2012)
Silver Medal Winner:IndieFab awards -Crafts & Hobbies (2011)
In The Cult of LEGO, Wired's GeekDad blogger John Baichtal and BrickJournal founder Joe Meno take you on a magnificent, illustrated tour of the LEGO(R) community, its people, and their creations.

The Cult of LEGO introduces us to fans and builders from all walks of life. People like professional LEGO artist Nathan Sawaya; enigmatic Dutch painter Ego Leonard (who maintains that he is, in fact, a LEGO minifig); Angus MacLane, a Pixar animator who builds CubeDudes, instantly recognizable likenesses of fictional characters; Brick Testament creator Brendan Powell Smith, who uses LEGO to illustrate biblical stories; and Henry Lim, whose work includes a series of models recreating M.C. Escher lithographs and a full-scale, functioning LEGO harpsichord.

Marvel at spectacular LEGO creations like:
-A life-sized Stegosaurus and an 80,000-brick T. Rex skeleton
-Detailed microscale versions of landmarks like the Acropolis and Yankee Stadium
-A 22-foot long, 350-pound re-creation of the World War II battleship Yamato
-A robotic, giant chess set that can replay historical matches or take on an opponent
-A three-level, remote-controlled Jawa Sandcrawler, complete with moving conveyor belt

Whether you're a card-carrying LEGO fanatic or just thinking fondly about that dusty box of LEGO in storage, The Cult of LEGO will inspire you to take out your bricks and build something amazing.

Book Details

  • Publisher: No Starch Press
  • Publish Date: Nov 1st, 2011
  • Pages: 304
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 10.24in - 8.24in - 1.02in - 2.62lb
  • EAN: 9781593273910
  • Categories: Industries - RetailingCorporate & Business History - GeneralTechnical & Manufacturing Industries & Trades

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About the Author

Baichtal, John: -

John Baichtal is a contributor to MAKE Magazine and Wired's GeekDad blog. He has also written for legendary tabletop gaming magazines Dragon and Dungeon, as well as Kobold Quarterly and 2600: The Hacker Quarterly.

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Praise for this book

"This fascinating look at the world of devoted LEGO fans deserves a place on the bookshelf of anyone who's ever played with LEGO bricks."
--Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief, Wired

"As much a geek treat of the finest kind as it is a fascinating piece of subcultural anthropology. An essential staple for your favorite nerd's coffee table."
--Maria Popova, The Atlantic

"When, in their exhaustive and rapturous survey of the multicolored building blocks, The Cult of LEGO, [Baichtal and Meno] present the original patent application drawing for what was then, in 1958, called a "toy plastic brick", the effect is that of viewing the tablets that held the Ten Commandments, or perhaps the Sistine Chapel artwork. The receptive reader is in the presence of the divine genesis."
--Paul Di Filippo, Salon.com

"If we're talking about inspiring the next generation of engineers, flipping through this book would be one way to do it."
--MSNBC.com

"...A beautiful, coffee-table tome rich with examples of LEGO's appeal and limitless versatility."
--TODAY.com

"I defy you to read and admire this book and not want to doodle with some bricks by the time you're done."
--Gareth Branwyn, online editor-in-chief, MAKE Magazine

"A crazy fun read, from cover to cover, this book deserves a special spot on the bookshelf of any self-respecting nerd."
--Jake McKee, former global community manager, the LEGO Group

"An excellent book and a must have for any LEGO enthusiast out there. The pictures are awesome!"
--Ulrik Pilegaard, author of Forbidden LEGO

"We're all members of the Cult of LEGO--the only membership requirement is clicking two pieces of plastic together and wanting to click more. Now we have a book that justifies our obsession."
--James Floyd Kelly, blogger for GeekDad.com and TheNXTStep.com

"Surprisingly inspiring . . . plenty of inspiration for anyone who has ever played with, and loved, Legos."
--Juliet Izon, Wall Street Journal

"Nearly 300 pages of LEGO awesomeness . . . just stunning."
--Bricklover18