"Absolutely essential reading for every LEGO fan." -Blocks The definitive history of LEGO, based on unprecedented access to the company's archives and rare interviews with the founding family who still owns the company "This book tells the story of how my family built the LEGO brand." -Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, former President/CEO of the LEGO Group and 3rd generation owner It's estimated that each year between eighty and ninety million children around the globe are given a box of LEGO, while up to ten million adults buy sets for themselves. Yet LEGO is much more than a dizzying number of plastic bricks that can be put together and combined in countless ways. LEGO is also a vision of the significance of what play can mean for humanity. This book tells the extraordinary story of a global company and a Danish family who for ninety years have defended children's right to play-and who believe grown-ups, too, should make the time to nurture their inner child. The LEGO Story is built on Jens Andersen's unique access to LEGO's own archives, as well as on Andersen's extensive conversations with Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, former president and CEO of the LEGO group and grandson of its founder, Ole Kirk Christiansen. A riveting cultural history of changing generations' views of childhood and the importance of play, The LEGO Story also a fascinating case study of how innovation and creativity helped leaders transform LEGO from a small carpentry business into the world's largest producer of play materials and one of the most beloved brands in the world. Richly illustrated with never-before-seen photos from the family's private archive, this is the ultimate book for fans of LEGO, revealing everything you ever wanted to know about the brand. An International Bestseller

Oration on the Philosophical Studies Necessary for the Student of Theology -- 1545

A powerful biography of the internationally renowned writer who created one of the most enduring characters in children's literature, Pippi Longstocking "[An] Insightful, elegantly written biography of the beloved author of the Pippi Longstocking tales, a complex woman of parts. . . Readers who grew up on Lindgren's stories will find this excellent book irresistible-and often surprising."-Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review The first English-language biography of Astrid Lindgren provides a moving and revealing portrait of the beloved Scandinavian literary icon whose adventures of Pippi Longstocking have influenced generations of young readers all over the world. Lindgren's sometimes turbulent life as an unwed teenage mother, outspoken advocate for the rights of women and children, and celebrated editor and author is chronicled in fascinating detail by Jens Andersen, one of Denmark's most popular biographers. Based on extensive research and access to primary sources and letters, this highly readable account describes Lindgren's battles with depression and her personal struggles through war, poverty, motherhood, and fame. Andersen examines the writer's oeuvre as well to uncover the secrets to the books' universal appeal and why they have resonated so strongly with young readers for more than seventy years.