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OK folks,
Here it goes.....
I have spent the last 11 months writing a new book on Lego. It will be released
not as an actual book, but as a CD (IBM and MAC compatible!!!) It is about 80%
done, and so far has 105,000 words on 300 pages. There will be thumbnail
pictures on most pages. Many items will be seen for the first time by most
AFOL's. And I will be talking about many very very rare items.
I will discuss Samsonite, Cellulose Acetate, and something that I call "Lego
Anomalies", which discusses the problems with sets and catalogs from the 50's
and 60's. There were a LOT of part substitutions in old Lego sets. And the old
50's and 60's catalogs contain an lot of errors, and ommissions.
I will even mention how to get rid of cigarette smoke smell that some unwitting
buyers have to contend with.
The CD will basically focus on 4 major areas: Britain, continental Europe, USA
and Canada. Unfortunately I don't have enough information on Australia, New
Zealand and Japan, but that will come in a future release of the CD. Besides I
believe that Australia and New Zealand basically had most of the same sets as
Britain.
The name is still not finalized, but it will contain the word "UNOFFICIAL" in
the title so as to not confuse it with anything that TLG has produced.
There are about 45-50 chapters, in 5 major headings:
1) The History of modern Lego (1957-present)
2) The Lego Sets
3) The Lego Parts
4) Buying, Selling and Collecting Lego
5) Building Good Lego Architecture
The CD will also contain NOT a price list, but an Insurance value list that uses
the same 5 condition valuations that all USA antique toy collectibles use (from
Very Good to Mint). Some people may not be aware, but the insurance value is
most often more than the auction value.
The book will also list all old rare parts, and their values. And also what
parts are only available in Britain, continental Europe, and USA/Canada.
The insurance value list will span the years 1957-??? (the ??? won't be any
more current than 1994).
The intended audience is:
1) AFOL's
2) Toy Collectors (only interested in collectibles, not Lego per se).
3) Online Lego Buyers and Sellers.
4) Garage Sale and Flea Market attendees.
5) Mom, Dad and the Grandparents who want to know what that old Lego in the
basement or attic is worth.
I would like to review the finished (Copyrighted) product with TLG before
distribution. I hope to have their cooperation on this.
I hope to have it out before summers end. The price is still under evaluation,
but I would guess about $20 US.
And one surprise in the book will be what I consider to be the worlds most
valuable Lego set, which I assign a value of $5000.
In my research on this book, I have not had any contact with anyone at TLG, at
least not yet!. Most of my research is based on old sets, parts and my own Lego
experiences since 1960. I have been a fan of Lego for 33 of the 44 years since
1960. I also have 2 fellow AFOL's, one a Brit, one a German, who have
contributed to this document.
I also will mention LUGNET, BRICKLINE, PEERON, and BRICKSHELF in the book (with
permission of course).
Again my goal for this document goes way beyond AFOL's. Since Lego is not
mentioned in any antique toy trade publication, I hope to fill a void for the
non-AFOL toy collectors.
Once the document has been completed, the AFOL community will have the first
chance at obtaining a copy of this CD (perhaps the first 1000 CD's will be
serial numbered with some other special incentives.
Once I gauge the demand, I will be using my Lego buildings as my Lego
ambassadors to get me on TV (I already have been on TV in USA/Canada/Germany),
perhaps on Good Morning America, et al, to promote my CD. Because I have over
11,000 classic Lego windows and 3/4 million parts, I have been able to build
some special buildings such as 35, 25 and 18 story office towers, my 20,000
piece Lego Gothic Cathedral, a Romanesque Revival Train Station, etc...
Gary Istok
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Message has 15 Replies:
 | | Re: Announcing new comprehensive book on Lego on CD.
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| (...) (snip) Wow, Gary. Just wow wowowowowow. I've been wondering "Where's Gary been?" and now I know. What a wonderful piece of news! I'm very, very interested. Are you going to .pdf the text, so that the interminable bibliophiles among us can (...) (20 years ago, 19-Jun-04, to lugnet.general, lugnet.town, lugnet.trains, lugnet.castle, lugnet.space, lugnet.lego.direct)
| | | Re: Announcing new comprehensive book on Lego on CD.
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| (...) Hey, this sounds very interesting. As a Mac (not MAC) user, I am a bit curious about the format. Will it be a PDF? That would make the book available to people using any operating system. Also, what sort of price are you estimating? If the CD (...) (20 years ago, 19-Jun-04, to lugnet.general, lugnet.town, lugnet.trains, lugnet.castle, lugnet.space, lugnet.lego.direct)
| | | Re: Announcing new comprehensive book on Lego on CD.
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| (...) <Snip> Gary, Outstanding! I've been dreaming of a book like this and can't wait to get a read. I got my first LEGO sets in the early 1960's and they didn't survive my younger siblings' abuse, alas, they are no more. So it will be great to see (...) (20 years ago, 19-Jun-04, to lugnet.general, lugnet.town, lugnet.trains, lugnet.castle, lugnet.space, lugnet.lego.direct)
| | | Re: Announcing new comprehensive book on Lego on CD.
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| Gary, This is great news. However since you're asking for feedback I hope you can take this into consideration. I would strongly prefer a printed version. In fact, I just discovered the printed 1974-2004 Playmobil collectors catalogue, and promptly (...) (20 years ago, 21-Jun-04, to lugnet.general, lugnet.town, lugnet.trains, lugnet.castle, lugnet.space, lugnet.lego.direct)
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