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Shakespeare, tanks, and JFK's motorcade, in Legos (pictures)

Four new books showcase human history, all in Legos. They range from depictions of assassination attempts on US presidents to full Shakespeare plays presented with the famous bricks.

Daniel Terdiman
Daniel Terdiman is a senior writer at CNET News covering Twitter, Net culture, and everything in between.
Daniel Terdiman
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1 of 18 Brendan Powell Smith/Assassination!

JFK assassination in Lego

On the heels of other recent books showcasing amazing art projects done with Legos, Skyhorse Publishing has just put out four separate books featuring the iconic plastic bricks being used in some very interesting ways.

To begin with, Brendan Powell Smith dramatizes the attempts on the lives of 12 U.S. presidents, from Andrew Jackson to Barack Obama, in "Assassination!"

In the book, Smith meticulously lays out the circumstances surrounding each assassination attempt, portraying it all with Legos.

Anyone familiar with American history will recognize this scene, depicting President John F. Kennedy's final moments riding through Dallas, Tex., in his motorcade.

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2 of 18 Brendan Powell Smith/Assassination!

Oswald aims

In another picture from "Assassination!" Smith shows Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald taking aim at the president from the Texas Book Depository.
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3 of 18 Skyhorse Publishing

Assassination! cover

Brendan Powell Smith's "Assassination!" may even educate some people to the (obviously) failed attempts on the lives of presidents including Bill Clinton, in 1996, and Barack Obama, in 2011.
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4 of 18 Brendan Powell Smith/Assassination!

Booth aims at Lincoln

Smith lays out a Lego brick scene of John Wilkes Booth as the assassin takes aim at President Abraham Lincoln in Ford's Theater.
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5 of 18 Brendan Powell Smith/Assassination!

Hustling Reagan into the limo

In a depiction of the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan's life, in 1981, Smith shows a famous scene of Reagan being hustled by the Secret Service into his limousine.
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6 of 18 John McCann/Brick Shakespeare

Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?

A second new book from Skyhorse Publishing, "Brick Shakespeare," presents four of the Bard's plays -- "Hamlet," "Macbeth," "Romeo and Juliet," and "Julius Caesar" in Legos. This is the famous "Romeo, Romeo, Wherefore art thou, Romeo" scene from "Romeo and Juliet."
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7 of 18 Skyhorse Publishing

Brick Shakespeare

The cover of "Brick Shakespeare," edited and narrated by Monica Sweeney and Becky Thomas, and constructed and photographed by John McCann.
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8 of 18 John McCann/Brick Shakespeare

Et tu, Brutus?

Julius Caesar is killed in one of history's most famous moments, depicted here in Legos.
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9 of 18 John McCann/Brick Shakespeare

Double, double, toil and trouble

The witches mix up their brew in a scene from "Macbeth:" "Double, double, toil and trouble."
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10 of 18 Alice Finch/Extreme Bricks

Hogwarts in Lego

Artist Alice Finch shows off her huge Lego model of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The image is from "Extreme Bricks," a new book by Sarah Herman.
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11 of 18 Nathan Sawaya/Extreme Bricks

Nathan Sawaya's T-Rex

Nathan Sawaya, one of the most accomplished Lego builders in the world, built this Tyrannosaurus Rex out of Legos. The T-Rex is featured in "Extreme Bricks."
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12 of 18 Skyhorse Publishing

Extreme Bricks

Sarah Herman's "Extrme Bricks" highlights "spectacular, record-breaking, and astouding Lego projects from around the world."
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13 of 18 Carlyle Livingston II/Extreme Bricks

Batcave

A Lego Batcave, made by Carlyle Livington II and Wayne Hussey, in "Extreme Bricks." It was made from more than 20,000 Legos.
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14 of 18 Ed Diment/Extreme Bricks

USS Intrepid

The U.S.S. Intrepid, built out of Legos, by Ed Diment. The 250,000-brick ship was built in 2010, and is featured in "Extreme Bricks."
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15 of 18 Jake Mackay/Badass Bricks

Landkreuzer battletank

In "Badass Bricks," Jake Mackay shows readers how to build a number of weapons and attack vehicles out of Legos. This is a Landkreuzer P. 1000 battle tank.
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16 of 18 Jake Mackay/Badass Bricks

Battletank underside

This is a look at the underside of the battle tank.
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17 of 18 Skyhorse Publishing

Badass Bricks

"Badass Bricks," by Jake Mackay, showcases Lego models of 35 "weapons of mass construction."
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18 of 18 Jake Mackay/Badass Bricks

Crossbow pistol

This is the handheld crossbow pistol, made out of Legos, from "Badass Bricks."

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