Each year, I eagerly await the arrival of the updated "Guinness World Records." Indeed, it seems to get a bit wilder each year, as new (and sometimes wacky) records are reported. The rules as to what qualifies as a record are laid out (as they are each year). The fun begins even just by randomly leafing through pages (my favorite way of perusing these volumes).
The first page begins with "Firsts," such as the first cloned animal (Remember her name? Dolly!); the first in-flight movie (in 1925); the first e-mail; and so on. Some random entries. . . Pages 36-37: the most productive copper mine; the highest active volcano; the longest column of ants (a 328 foot long procession of army ants); the narrowest country. Pages 52-53: the newest Iguana; the most endangered reptile; the largest snake of all time.
But it's really the human achievements, I think, that intrigue most people. Among these (pages 76 and following): the farthest washing machine throw by an individual (a hair over 11 feet); heaviest vehicle pulled by hair (count me out in trying to match this feat!); longest waterfall descent in a canoe; greatest distance covered in a pedal-powered boat; circumnavigation of the globe on a bicycle).
The volume is organized by a number of overarching categories--Space, Planet Earth, Animal Planet, The Body, Human Achievements, Travelers' Tales, Gazetteer, Modern World, Engineering & Technology, Art & Media, and Sports.
A couple examples from a few of these categories to add some flavor. Engineering & Technology: tallest structure, first manned hydrogen-powered aircraft, largest machine ever built, highest capacity chicken manure station (on page 185; this isn't a joke!). Art & Media: fastest-selling download single; most effects shots in a movie; first film with digital water ("Antz"). Sports: Highest pole vault (female), most beach handball championships (female), most centuries in a test series (cricket; I'm clueless), fastest shot in NHL history (hockey), fastest 100 meter dash (male), and so on.
So, the preceding examples give a sense of the book for those who have never looked at it. For those who have? You'll know what you're getting. This won't be for everyone, but for those who like real records and quirky records alike, this is hours of amusement (and amazement).