One thing I've noticed about some websites for other books is that they talk about the author in third person. It gives the impression that the author has either hired someone to create their website and write about them, or that they want you to think that. You won't find any third person references here. This site was created and is maintained by me, the author... Allan Bedford.

In the fall of 2003 I began to first think seriously about the possibility of writing a LEGO-related book. I had been reading and writing about LEGO on the web since 1998. But in all that time I had not run across the one thing I really wanted to see; a book about building with real LEGO bricks. There have been many books written about the LEGO Mindstorms system, books about using computer software related to LEGO building and even a book about LEGO trains. Missing from the list was a book of general building tips and techniques.

I had long wanted to write a book but never found a subject I was ready to invest a great deal of time and effort into exploring to any great depth. But the idea of combining my favorite hobby and my long-time desire to write a book was finally what I needed to proceed. I realized that if there wasn't a "guide" book to the LEGO system available then I'd just have to write one. And that's what I did.

The Unofficial LEGO® Builder's Guide began with a proposal that I sent to No Starch Press in December of 2003. They liked the idea and it was agreed that I would begin writing the book. Little did I know I was starting a project that would consume much of my free time, holidays, evenings and weekends for the next 20 months!

Let's back up just a bit. The Unofficial LEGO® Builder's Guide actually began life as "The LEGO® Builder's Reference Guide". It was going to be a compilation of tips, techniques, formulas and examples of every type of LEGO building I could find. In other words bring together a lot of information that was already available on the internet into a one-volume printed text. As I began to create the Table of Contents for the book I realized it wasn't going to be quite so technical sounding as its name suggested. And early on, as often happens, serendipity intervened when I shortened the name of the book in the subject line of an email, in order to save time. My publisher locked onto that name and from that time forward the book became simply "The LEGO® Builder's Guide". The word 'Unofficial' was added to the title late in the game as a gesture of respect for the company's trademark and to avoid any confusion that readers might have.

As the structure of the book evolved it became clear that this was going to be more of a 'field guide' approach to the LEGO system rather than a purely technical one. In other words, it would be one person's approach to and observations about LEGO building. That person, of course, is me. And that brings us back on topic for this page. Who am I? I'm not just the name on the spine of the book but am a true LEGO fan at heart. In other words, I'm not just an author but also a long-time builder and collector of LEGO as well.

My earliest LEGO-related memories stretch back more than 30 years now. I've written many times on the web about my first LEGO set (#611) that was a tiny police car consisting of a mere 13 pieces. And while I've since had many hobbies in my lifetime and even left LEGO building for much of my teens and twenties, the excitement I found by returning to the LEGO hobby as an adult was as great or greater than any other pursuit I can think of. I still get a thrill from building a brand new LEGO set. I still get down on the floor and dig through piles of bricks looking for that one special piece. And I still find reward in challenging myself to build something I've never built before. All of that started with just 13 pieces.

Although LEGO building is the hobby that occupies much of my spare time I also have other interests. I have created a few original games over the years, one of which appears in Chapter 11 of The Unofficial LEGO® Builder's Guide. I am also an avid cyclist and use a bike to commute to work from the time the snow melts in the spring until it's too icy to ride in the late fall. Movies are another way I spend my free time and many Saturday nights I sit down with the sound cranked up too high and enjoy whatever DVD happens to catch my interest that night. Surprisingly, I don't spend nearly as much time as you might think reading, though I'm trying to change that. :)

Please feel free to email me with any questions you may have, or read more about the book and me in my blog entries.

© 2005 Allan Bedford

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