Exploring various connections linking the construction toys of the modern period with real-world architectural movements, social history, and national identities, architecture professors and toy collectors Brenda and Robert Vale investigate not only how model sets have reflected various historical and contemporary building styles, but also whether the toys themselves influenced the subsequent careers of architects who grew up playing with them. The book is illustrated throughout with color photos, advertisements, box art, and instruction sheets, describing such building systems as Richter's Blocks, Meccano, Lott's Bricks, Wenebrik, Lincoln Logs, Mobaco, Bayko, Minibrix, Juneero, Castos, Arkitex, and Playplax.