I’ll show you one of the three first Book Nooks LEGO has ever made from a photographer’s perspective.

You don’t see a LEGO Book Nook everyday, do you? This one is fantastic! It has hidden places, it’s built in perspective and it’s beautiful in both open and closed way. Before I start the review, I want to say that the first book nook I saw was created by Anna Bitanga, a.k.a. fourbrickstall. There were several variations of book nooks as different habitats. It even inspired me to build my own book nook, but mine wasn’t astonishing as this one is. Let’s see more details.

This Book Nook feels different than an ordinary LEGO set. Why? It’s elementary, my dear Watson! It’s built in an angle and it’s beautiful.

The coolest thing about this Book Nook is that it can be a play set or a display piece. There are two ways to display the set: open and closed. If you choose to display it open, you will see all the details of the beautiful buildings on Baker Street. There’s even a pavement that contributes to the atmosphere.

If you choose to put it on display closed, you’ll be able to see the angle of the buildings.

As a true Book Nook, you can put it besides your books and you’ll have a miniature world beneath them.

“You see, but you do not observe” ~ Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, A Scandal in Bohemia

There are three buildings here. But if you take a deeper look you’ll see more than just façades. The Victorian Bookstore with a beautiful round window, the 222 apartment, which turns out to be a villain’s hideout and 221B which is Sherlock’s apartment. The interesting part: you can move elements from the buildings and they open in different ways.

The Elementary Book Shop has a rotatable round window and behind it you can find books and clues for Sherlock. Behind the balcony of the beautiful façade you can find Sherlock’s apartment. Again, it has some interesting details as his violin and a map of London from his current investigation. And yes- Sherlock has a tiny place to step there, even though the space is limited.

There’s a black door that opens and it reveals the secret villain hideout:

Did you know you can put a minifigure on the balcony? Sherlock Holmes is always on the lookout in case something happens on Baker Street.

He is always on the right side of the magnifying glass, as he continues to search for clues.

Here is a nice place to say that the only printed piece is the Baker Street sign on top of the Book Nook. Everything else that you see are stickers. The minifigures are printed of course. And they are printed beautifully and detailed.

Irene Adler’s dress is beautiful. She even has a cloak and an umbrella as accessory. Irene is a former opera singer and is featured in the first short story “A scandal in Bohemia”. The boy you see here is a representative of the Baker Street irregulars. These kids help Sherlock as they are everywhere and keep an eye on everything. Both minifigures have dual printed heads.

Professor Moriarty is a detailed minifigure too. The newspaper piece is a brand new print made for this set. Moriarty is Sherlocks’ formidable enemy as he is a genius, a philosopher and an abstract thinker.

Dr. Watson has a lovely printed torso, a hat and a briefcase that holds a little clue in it. Did you know he carries a cookie for the Baskerville Hound in there? He better not lose it, or the Baskerville Hound might come and search for it.

“This fellow may be very clever.” I said to myself, “but he is certainly very conceited.” ~ -A Study in Scarlet

And at last Sherlock Holmes. Again, detailed and beautiful vest with a hand watch print. He has a brown cloak that matches his outfit. He always carries his magnifying glass around. And why not? You never know what case will pop out next.

What do you think Sherlock is looking for?

The Book Nook is made to look like a folded book. On the one side – the cover, there’s a Sherlock Holmes silhouette and it’s a nice and satisfying element that makes the final product look complete.

From a photographic side the set is very nice. You can use the buildings as a background for Sherlock’s mysteries. You can remove the two sides of the Book Nook so that light can come from the windows. But unfortunately there’s not much light that can get to the street. Somehow it’s not that transparent enough from photographers side, but the good part it that it’s solid enough so it doesn’t tear apart when you move it around. It’s a solid build.

“For a great mind, nothing is little” ~ Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, A Study in Scarlet

Conclusion: The Sherlock Holmes Book Nook is a beautiful set. It has 1359 pieces and it’s retail cost is $129.99/119,99€ . It’s worth getting this one both for play and display. Overall building experience was really fun and interesting. The instructions are very interesting as they provide little hints about the characters and some of the details in the set. It’s a fun and engaging build. It takes you back in the Victorian age in no time. I recommend you getting this set as it’s full of surprises with all of the moving elements. I give it 10/10.

Here’s a little Behind the Scenes:

Fun Fact: The phrase “Elementary, my dear Watson” is a famous misquotation of Sherlock Holmes’s words, popularized in culture, but not found in the original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.