One Book, Two Very Happy Inner Geeks

I got a book in the mail a few days ago and it has lived on my kitchen counter ever since. No, it's not there because it's a cookbook. It's there because I can't stop looking at it and the counter is the easiest, most accessible place to find it. More about the book in a moment, but first a little background.

I'm a LEGO fanatic. Always have been, always will be. I have wonderful memories of putting my LEGO Space sets together on the floor in front of the Christmas tree. (Buying my son his first LEGO set was a very happy day for me!) Also, having grown up in the 70's and 80's, Star Wars was a huge influence on me. I had all the action figures and saw the movies multiple times.

So imagine my thrill when I received LEGO Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia as a gift from a friend. LEGO first started releasing Star Wars sets in 1999. 190+ sets later, the line is celebrating its 10th Anniversary and this lavish book has been created to honor the occasion.

The book begins with a timeline of the sets, then goes into an in-depth look at each of them, with close-up photos, descriptions and facts and figures (the Millennium Falcon set has 5,195 pieces and a 311-page instruction manual!)

The book also includes an exclusive collectible LEGO minifigure of Luke Skywalker as he appeared at the end of the first Star Wars movie. Not only do you get an incredible book, but you get a toy too!

If you've got a Star Wars or LEGO fan in your life, you just found their holiday present.
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We encourage you to write down or print out the title information and shop at your local bookstore. Titles link to LibraryThing, a social networking site that allows you to catalog your home library. LibraryThing also links to various online purchasing options. Here are the books from this post:

LEGO Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary by Simon Beecroft, DK Publishing hardcover

(all information is for the U.S. editions).