Guinness World Records 2003 |
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Pages: 288 (Hardcover) ISBN: 0851121470 Pub: Guinness World Records Limited Pub date: 2002-09-27 Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 249093 |
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Editorial Review:
The deliciously pointless thing about Guinness World Records is that each year is more extravagantly eccentric than the last as people try to beat current records or to dream up new ones to set--the more outlandish the better. Andre Ludwick of South Africa, for example, holds the 2003 record for the world's largest collection of nail clippers. He has 505 pairs. Doubtless by 2004 someone will have more. And someone somewhere must already be amassing aeroplane sick bags at top speed in order to beat the current record holder Niek Vermeulen of the Netherlands.
Guinness World Records began life in 1955 as The Guinness Book of Records because Sir Hugh Beaver, managing director of Guinness, the Irish brewing company, believed that the world needed a definitive reference book to settle pub-based arguments about records. Over 47 years it has grown into an institution..
Where else do you look to find out who holds the record for winning the most womens' swimming Olympic medals? (Dawn Fraser, Australia). Who is the world's most tattooed woman? Krstyne Kolorful, Canada 95% of whose body is tattooed. And Terry Cole of the UK holds the record for the useful skill of cigar box balancing. On April 24, 1992 he supported 220 on his chin for nine seconds. Guinness World Records is, as always, an entertaining browse particularly in the section on Modern Society and Buildings and Structures which are new for 2003. --Susan Elkin
Reader Reviews:
how can you not love this book! (2/3 people found this helpful)
great pictures, lots of weird and absurd categories, and fantastic people doing some bizarre things! Was looking specifically for world records to do with business but couldn't find much in here sadly ... would be a great book if they did one on business world records -- longest commute, biggest company losses, fastest share price fall, shortest term for a Chief Executive, longest prison sentence for a business crime!
Sad decline of an institution (11/12 people found this helpful)
The GBR was created to settle pub arguments. That is no longer the object, since its target market isn't allowed to drink: in 2001 the book was sold to the entertainment group that owns Thomas the Tank Engine, the Wiggles, and others; whose market is the 8 to 13-year olds.
That's exactly where this book seems to be aimed. One can argue forever about the records that should or should not be included, but the book has gone seriously downmarket in its attempt to appeal mainly to prepubescent boys. 'Hard-core' records are dumped in favour of pictures of half-dressed young things from pop shows (and not so young... dear old Cher!).
For example, in the 1996 edition there were six records about dams, and an interesting table ranking the world's greatest disasters. I can't find 'dam' in the current edition's index, and there is no mention of the great plague or influenza epidemic.
The book resembles more Ripley's Believe It or Not. It should leave belly-button records to that volume, and get back to documenting our world.
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Books -> Subjects -> Children’s Books -> Reference
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