It feels like an eternity ago that I wrote the first update, so much has happened since then. With the final book plan approved by the LEGO Group and being vetted by the original AFOL group, the writing process is getting underway, with a mix of about 50/50 writing and conducting interviews with some amazing folks at the LEGO Group.
Multiple people within the company are liaising with their co-workers finding folks who can answer some of the many, many questions I have sent in. The support and enthusiasm are incredible and I feel lucky to be a part of it.
I have also spent a fair bit of time scouring the internal LEGO® digital archive and have found some absolute treasures. Two finds have been especially exciting. One is the very first sketch of the modern stud and tube system made by Godtfred Kirk Christiansen (GKC) himself. It had some surprise secrets in the margins that will definitely be finding their way into the book.
Second is a promotional video from 1951, a mere two years after the LEGO brick was invented. It is surprisingly long and includes a tour of the workshop where, in live action, one of the very first moulding machines is churning out Automatic Binding Bricks. The whole plastics process is shown including where the plastic pellets were stored, how they were fed into the machine, and the surprising speed at which those early bricks were produced. Lastly, it contained a sequence of GKC operating another machine that provided a tantalizing clue to solving a longstanding mystery about early bricks. Very, very exciting developments!
If this wasn't exciting enough, keep an eye out for an announcement next week from the LEGO Group and Unbound!
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By
hasanjensen