Book Review: Medieval Lego
I’m a big Castle fan, so when I read that one of the new titles no starch press were releasing in September was “Medieval LEGO” I was even more curious to see the book than with many of their other excellent LEGO related titles. I have since received a copy of the book. So what is it all about? Well, this is the official description no starch press gives:
Castles and kings, battles and treaties, famine and plague, intrigue and invasion!
Medieval LEGO takes you through real English history in the Middle Ages with a unique twist, with every event illustrated by a tiny little LEGO scene. With contributions by medievalists and scholars, this book brings medieval history to life in a fun, kid-friendly way.
Inside, you’ll learn about events like the Battle of Hastings, the chartering of Oxford University, and the signing of the Magna Carta. You’ll witness the Great Fire of London, the Black Death, and the Great Famine, and you’ll read about famous historical figures like Robin Hood, Richard the Lionheart, Geoffrey Chaucer, and William the Conqueror.
Grab your broadsword and turn the page to join the adventure.
My review
The book is a beautifully bound, 18x18cm, 124-page, hard-cover production. The format is quite different from other LEGO related books no starch has published. The books feels quite small which in a way gives it a special value: it almost feels like a little treasure to be kept on display on a coffee table (I’m going to need a couple more of those tables if they keep this up!). The book consists of a series of short descriptions of significant fact in the history of England. Each story is presented by a scholar—professors and teachers of medieval history – and is illustrated by one or more LEGO renditions of the fact that are described.
The scenes are for the most part quite simple, but beautifully photographed scenes that don’t so much stand out for their complexity in terms of building techniques, but have the steady quality of a children’s story book. I can just picture this book sitting on my grandfather’s bookshelf, for him to read me one of the stories each time I visited him.
Despite the attention to detail, and the care with which this book has been put together, taking a closer look I can’t help but feel something is missing. While the descriptions of the significant historical moments is obviously well researched, the book definitely isn’t a page turner. Some of the images are quite nice, but overall they also fail to attract my attention beyond the 5 minute read of your average coffee table book. Still, I’m keeping it on display!
2184
