We all love Lego ... don't we?

They are the brilliant bricks that inspire generation after generation of children to be practical and creative.

And now, of course, there's a Disney aspect to them too – from publicity stunts to theme parks.

And so to this book.

It's probably the closest thing to a 'complete' telling of the story of Lego as you can get.

Building A History covers the company's life from its humble beginnings in a Dutch carpenter's workshop to the huge global empire it is today.

The public has been impressed pretty much from the start by what can be done with the tiny plastic bricks, whether it's cooing over a determined child or marvelling at the awe-inspiring large-scale pieces found in the Legoland parks around the world. Visually, this 300-page image-heavy book more than panders to this need.

Yet, sadly, a large majority of the text is nothing more than a dry, for me near-unreadable recounting of facts, that even bona-fide Lego obsessives may find overwhelming.

This is a passion project, without a doubt, but it's the passion of a nerd, and although visually the book is very pleasing, its literary merit is lacking.

However, given the patience needed to build a scale model of the Eiffel Tower, perhaps some fans will soldier through this extensive company manual anyway.