Cheap DVDs, books, CDs & Games

Search:

Guinness World Records 2003

Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Guinness World Records Limited
ISBN: 0851121470
ISBN-13: 9780851121475
Released: 27 Sep 2002
RRP: £18.00
Average Rating:

Customer Reviews

how can you not love this book! - By: Cheryl Burnside, 13 Aug 2003
great pictures, lots of weird & absurd categories, & fantastic people doing some bizarre things! Was looking specificallly 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 falll, shortest term for a Chief Executive, longest prison sentence for a business crime!
Sad decline of an institution - By: Dr Garry, 27 Jan 2003
The GBR was created to settle pub arguments. That is no longer the object, since its target market isn't alllowed to drink: in 2001 the book was sold to the entertainment group that owns Thomas the Tank Engine, the Wiggles, & 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, & an interesting table ranking the world's greatest disasters. I can't find 'dam' in the current edition's index, & 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, & get back to documenting our world.