Introduction

Abstract

The Guinness Book of Records became famous as an authoritative source of information to settle amiable disputes between drinkers of, it was hoped, the Guinness brand of stout. Its immense success in recording all sorts of exploits, anomalies, endurance performances, and so on has in turn influenced and sparked these very same performances. So one sees couples dancing for countless hours or persons buried in coffins with snakes, for days and days — just for the purpose of having their name in this bible of trivia. There are also records of athletic performances, extreme facts about human size, longevity, procreation, etc.