Unbound has announced a major new initiative with Ameet, the LEGO Group’s global strategic publishing partner, to launch the first official direct-to-consumer book created in partnership with Adult Fans of LEGO (AFOL).

“Unbound is a global publishing platform where superfans can come together to fund books that are too niche for the conventional mainstream marketplace,” says Dan Kieran, chief executive officer, Unbound. “Along with the book itself, Unbound and their partners also create exclusive merchandise, experiences or tickets to events that will not be available in any shops. We’re thrilled to be opening up Unbound to an iconic global brand like the LEGO Group.”

Developed with input from a group of AFOL ambassadors and voted for via a public competition on LEGO Ideas is The Secret Life of LEGO Bricks, a LEGO history. Showcasing the variety of LEGO elements, from monorail tracks and wheels to smart bricks, the Mask of Life from BIONICLE and more, The Secret Life of LEGO Bricks will feature interviews with the designers, managers and technicians who brought them to life, as well as artefacts from the LEGO Archive in Billund, Denmark.

The book will be written by Daniel Konsta’nski, the U.S. editor for Blocks Magazine and a lifelong LEGO fan. The Secret Life of LEGO Bricks will only be available through Unbound, and every fan who pre-orders will get their name printed in the back of the book. A range of additional rewards from the LEGO Group include a print of the famous LEGO wooden duck dating from 1958 and retired LEGO sets retrieved exclusively from the LEGO basement, with more to be revealed.

“We are thrilled to be working closely with the AFOL community to identify, co-create and publish unique books that satisfy the great thirst for knowledge of our adult fans,” says Robin James Pearson, publishing head, the LEGO Group. “There have been a number of books published about the LEGO Group and the LEGO brick over the years, but this is the first time we have had the opportunity to work directly with the adult fan community to discover what titles they would like to see on their bookshelves.”

The crowdfunding campaign launched on Aug. 17 and will accept pledges until early 2021. Books are expected to arrive by spring 2022.