Beautiful LEGO

Legos have been a building block of childhoods around the world for decades (the Danish company, the Lego Group, was founded in 1949), but as graphic designer Doyle demonstrates in this impressive collection of 360 Lego models, they’re far from child’s play. The book showcases the work of 77 artists, who offer a wildly divergent results: from portraits of Freddie Mercury and the monsters from Alien to dissected frogs, space stations, and chromed-out hot rods. Though Doyle humbly waits until the middle of the book to showcase a few of his own sculptures, they are among the most striking. His stark black-and-white renderings of an elegant Victorian house damaged by an uprooted tree, as well as the book’s cover (a massive futuristic city with countless spires) are nothing short of breathtaking. Brief bios of the creators accompany each entry, with the artists discussing what drew them to Lego bricks and their approach to design. One featured artist, Jordan Schwartz, may have achieved the ultimate goal: landing a job at Lego as a product designer due in part to his creations. Surprisingly, the book doesn’t include specifications such as the dimensions of the pieces or the number of bricks used, nor are there images of works-in-progress. If readers can forgive that, they will be mesmerized by this astonishing collection. Full-color illus. (Nov.)