Guinness World Records

It is solely for sentimental and nostalgic reasons that this book is a part of my library. Back in primary school, we had to loan a book at the school library at a certain interval which the sands of time has eroded from my memory. The early 2000s were exciting times for visual mediums such as motion pictures and video games, so books were of little to no interest to us young guns. However, we would usually gravitate towards Guinness World Records, or finding something with a "cool" cover, show more in which the Goosebumps series reigned supreme.
This 2002 edition always stood out because of its more creative cover, compared to other editions in the early 2000s, and I specifically remember the featuring of a Crash Bandicoot picture with the record sales of the PlayStation 2. A lot of fun would stem from sitting with multiple record books and see how many fun, cool, or disgusting facts we could find. In the spirit of that, here are three random facts:
1. In 2001, entertainer Ken Edwards ate 36 cockroaches in a minute. (This was perfect for grossing out the girls in class)
2. Sony's latest MP3 player, NW-E3, was boasting a capacity for two hours of music runtime. The technology sections are among the most interesting because of how different that landscape is today.
3. In 1999, citizens in Bethel, Maine, USA, spent fourteen days building a snowman, named Angus, who rose to a respectable 34,64 meters in height. It took fifteen weeks for Angus to melt.

You're treated with an abundance of categories and subcategories to dive head first into, so it should be no uphill battle to find something to peak your interest. The trivia and records are compiled from a wide array of years, definitely more than a century which, in my assessment, counts against it as it feels too random. Although there's some interesting trivia here and there, I think the book is at its best when it sticks to contemporary records because when you pair it with the visual presentation it functions as a neat time capsule. The record for the most sold drum 'n' bass album is a perfect example of this. Together with cultural icons of the period, of course. Another amusing facet is the web integration which just screams early 2000s. Throughout the pages you will find URLs and access codes to a now sadly defunct website and forum where you could discuss the records and also get special ringtones. Those were the times! Naturally, it becomes a bit formulaic with the longest x, biggest x, richest x, youngest x, etc. records. I certainly only skimmed sections in categories I was less enthusiastic about. If you have a localized version of the book it should also feature records from your country specifically, which is a nice touch.

At the end of the day, Guinness World Records 2002 mostly does what it says on the tin. It's not exactly highly decorated literature, but it is enjoyable enough to sift through, especially with some good company. show less

I remember when I was a kid and first read the Guinness Book of World Records. Seeing pictures of the person with the world’s longest fingernails and the largest dog and the oldest person on Earth was astounding. Here catalogued was the extremity of humanity. Back then, there were very few “zany” categories, but now people seem destined to hold records in very niche areas. In the 2014 edition, there are records for the fastest assembly a seven-layer chicken bucket pyramid (35.72 show more seconds), fastest downing of 200 mL of mustard (20.8 seconds), and most Rubik’s cubes solved while running a marathon (100).

While most of the book is jammed with useless (but still fun) trivia, there are interesting tidbits to discover. For instance, researchers are experimenting with the feasibility of zero-gravity surgery, performing the first one on September 27, 2006. Also, in 1803, Joseph Samuel survived three separate hanging due to equipment failure. Further back in history, Pliny the Younger gave the earliest known description of a volcanic eruption (Vesuvius in 79 CE). Slogging through the entries in the Guinness Book of World Records is all at once wondrous, insane, and revelatory. It’s basic a book of lists, so the writing is inherently monotone, but if you’ve got a free afternoon, give it a whirl. I guarantee you’ll find something fun. show less

A beautiful coffee table book with vibrant colour on hardcover by @penguinindia and @gunniessworldrecord curated in such a way, Due to COVID not many event's or record got broken but this time book is more about recognition of records .We have different categories like Society, Pop culture, natural world, adventure, etc. where we get world records field of Nature, natural power, climate, people who won awards for there contribution, bird watching, cleanliness of Mount Everest. Discovery show more sponsored project, life in Antarctica and there participation in climate change rallies and strick. Contributors are many to cause and that's what is more to appreciate this year in the record book. I say this is the best book for kids as well as adults to gain the most of general knowledge we can gain from this book about what happened around the globe during the year. The editor says even due to lockdown and pandemic situation we had world records came through almost everyday and it never stopped.

Some of present/future hall of fame inductees mentioned in this book. Hall of fame inductees like Sultan Kosen, Rose Craig, Peggy Whitson and many more mentioned in the book. Even ms.thunberg is there in the book for climate change rallies and participation in the events. show less

Guinness World Records (GWR) books are a household name and almost need no introduction at all. GWR continues to move with the times and their latest book Guinness World Records 2017: Blockbusters! is proof of that and a collection like no other.

With entertainment categories that include: Watch, Browse, Read, Play, Go and Consume, there is definitely something for everyone. Obviously I enjoyed the Read section the most, particularly the most expensive children's book sold at auction (the show more handwritten copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling bound in leather and mounted with silver and moonstones). I also enjoyed finding out the highest earning author and Top 10 kids' book villains.

I always enjoy seeing other people's collections and there is plenty to satisfy in Guinness World Records 2017: Blockbusters! The Browse chapter has a bunch of online stats and info including memorable memes, most viewed videos and most viewed wiki pages. I will say that some of the coloured font boxes were too dark and made reading the text inside them a little difficult at night.

Other than that, there is a variety of information in Guinness World Records 2017: Blockbusters! to pique the interest of any reader regardless of age. Recommended for kids, libraries, schools and more.

* Copy courtesy of Pan Macmillan Australia * show less