Beginner
≈ 2 h 15 minSuggested range1 h 15 min – 3 h 45 min
Official LEGO® image · © LEGO Group and/or the respective rights holders. Source: LEGO Italy ↗
Ideas · SET 40698
Books Are My Passion
A reader in an armchair beside a large bookcase in a compact scene celebrating the pleasure of books.
- Pieces
- 285
- Release year
- 2024
- Theme
- Ideas
- Set number
- 40698
- LEGO recommended age
- 18+
- Used · indicative value
- ≈ 55.00 €
Indicative market reference published by Brickset for the stated condition. Not a launch price or a guaranteed offer: completeness, packaging and condition can change the price. Brickset ↗ · Reference checked on 28 October 2026
Official English name verified at: LEGO English archive ↗ · Checked on 26 October 2026.
TIME TO BUILD
How long does it take to build Books Are My Passion?
A starting point for planning your build. Times for each experience level are editorial estimates, not measurements submitted by HowLongToBuild users.
Editorial estimate · first build
Intermediate
≈ 1 h 30 minSuggested range45 min – 2 h 30 minExperienced
≈ 1 hSuggested range30 min – 1 h 45 minBased on one person building the set for the first time, following the original instructions and using numbered bags where supplied. Includes normal piece-finding and minor adjustments; excludes long breaks, filming, dismantling and modifications. Sources may use different methods. This range is neither a statistical interval nor a limit: your build may take less or more time.
How we estimate times · sources and method
Editorial assessment: A reader in an armchair beside a large bookcase in a compact scene celebrating the pleasure of books. The blue seat creates the centre of the little scene. A first build following the instructions, including normal piece finding; an adult may help when needed. Breaks, subsequent play and any alternative models are excluded. For older sets, unnumbered bags or previously mixed pieces may prolong sorting. No verified timed build: indicative values with substantial variation.
Sources do not always specify the builder’s experience. The three experience bands are our editorial assessment, based on the complexity of the set and individual accounts where available.
- LEGO · set-specific instructions ↗
Official name, pieces, age and imagery; no timed building data.
- LEGO · set manual ↗
Document for this set number. The duration is an editorial estimate, not a LEGO timing.
Checked: 26 October 2026 · Method v1.0 · Limited reports; not a statistical average.
BUILT BY THE COMMUNITY
Yours could be the first building time.
0 reviewed solo building times.
No solo building times have been reviewed yet. You can still find editorial estimates under Suggested times.
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How much display space does it need?
Assembled-model dimensions are not yet documented for this set. Box dimensions cannot tell you how much display space it needs.
BEYOND THE BRICKS
Did you know?
Inside the set
Tall bookcase
Colourful spines fill the brown structure.
LEGO sourceArmchair in front
The blue seat creates the centre of the little scene.
LEGO sourceBeyond the set
The stories, places and inventions behind your build.
A book without a colophon
The Gutenberg Bible does not directly state printer, place or date. Evidence and material traces reconstruct its history.
Read the full story
The 42-line Bible has neither title page nor a printer-and-date colophon. Attribution to Gutenberg around 1455 relies on other historical evidence, not modern-style credits. Keio’s catalogue also notes paper and vellum copies, materially different objects from the same printing enterprise.
Print did not remove handwork
Initially planned printed red headings were instead added manually following a model, combining technology and craft.
Read the full story
Gutenberg’s coloured initials were still added by hand. Printing did not instantly replace every manuscript skill. The 1457 Mainz Psalter later introduced mechanically printed two-colour initials, illustrating a phased transition in which manual work and the press continued to coexist.
Expanded stories updated on 29 October 2026
Written by HowLongToBuild · Sources are linked with each story · Checked on 26 October 2026. Historical facts and story details refer to the context described.
THE COMMUNITY’S EXPERIENCE
What was it like to build?
Three separate scores from 1 to 10. For difficulty, 1 means very easy and 10 means very difficult.
No approved ratings yet. Scores are never generated by this site or inferred from the recommended age.
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Building tips from the community
Specific steps, useful checks and sticking points. Contributions appear after moderation, in their original language. Do not upload instruction pages or personal contact details.
No approved tips yet.
Sign in to contributeSET THE MOOD
A soundtrack for your build
· Selected for the building rhythm
An understated option for following the instructions and working on details, without claiming a narrative connection to the subject. This pairing follows the pace of the session; the alternatives let you change the mood.
OUR PICK
Dis
Jan Garbarek
Intimate and spaciousEditorial suggestions, not official soundtracks for the set. External services may require an account or subscription; editions and availability can vary by country. Suggest another soundtrack →
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YOUR NEXT BUILD
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Official LEGO® image · © LEGO Group and/or the respective rights holders. Source: LEGO Italy ↗
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Official LEGO® image · © LEGO Group and/or the respective rights holders. Source: LEGO Italy ↗