Guinness World Records 2017, Guinness World Records Limited/Pan Macmillan Australia, 8 Sept 2016, 256pp., $44.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781910561324
This yearly almanac doesn’t disappoint. It has 13 sections (including ‘animals’, ‘humans’, ‘engineering and architecture’ and ‘sports’), an extensive contents page with a guide to the features of every page (such as ‘fast facts’ and a symbol to indicate that a photo is actual size), a forward by Buzz Aldrin and an interview with Chris Hadfield (‘space’ is a theme for the 62nd edition of Guinness World Records). You may not like all the ‘facts, feats and features’ in this book (who couldn’t like the record for ‘largest gathering of people dressed as Spider-Man’?) but the variety is astounding.
Guinness World Records seem to have kept up to date for a readership expecting more than a reading experience. For example, there’s a whole section on ‘do try this at home’. You could try to beat the record for ‘fastest time to drink one litre of lemon juice through a straw’ (24.41 seconds) or try your hand at eating the most Smarties in one minute with chopsticks (65). There’s also a connection to their website which has an extensive online database. This book is as interesting and strange and colourful as previous editions and should appeal to a wide range of readers.
Reviewed by Pam Harvey
