Disappointing. A very dumbed down edition for children, 31 Oct 2008
I have had several editions of the Guinness World Records over the years and they have generally had a huge amount of content. This edition is much more like children's enclopedia than a serious books of records. There is much less material than normal and what little there is seemed to have been plucked almost at random and is poorly organised.

It may still appeal to children because of the numerous pictues. A few of these are 3D as advertised on the cover, and 3D glasses are included in the book so they can be veiwed.

Sport fans may appreciate the tables of sports records which is the only area where any of the formerly comprehensive coverage remains.

Readers who want a comprehenesive book of records would be much better off with a secondhand copy of an older edition.



The Best yet, 19 Oct 2008
I have collected plenty of copies of GWR but this excels all. The 3-D glasses bring the book to life.

The best gets better every year, 02 Oct 2008
I still buy and read the Guinness Record book every year, because it's become like an old friend that I like to catch up with, but I have to disagree with Birch East. I like the way it has changed and brings out a fresh look each year. The changes, like holograms, 3D whatever, make it fresh every year. My nephews also are big fans of the 3D gimmick.

I do agree with the recommendation for Getting Into Guinness: One Man's Longest, Fastest, Highest Journey Inside the World's Most Famous Record Book, the new book by Larry Olmsted about the history and culture of the Guinness World Records book. After reading his review I snapped up a copy and it is great--very entertaining and a fun read! I have read the record book for years but never stopped to wonder where it came from (Guinness Stout of course!), how it got so big, and how large a role it has played in pop culture, and just how crazy some of the record holders seem to be. Getting Into Guinness is the story behind the records and a fun, well researched, adult read.

Always the best, but this year I discovered something that makes it even better, 28 Sep 2008
I first read the Guinness Book of World Records when I was kid back in the 70s, and it's comforting to see it still going strong. I'll say that I definitely preferred the old school text-heavy versions from back in the day to the flourescent lime, 3D photography, picture-fest of today. It's a new world we live in now, so I guess it's hard to fault the Big G for keeping up with the times.

As much as I've long loved the Guinness book itself, I was always a little disappointed that there wasn't a good resource written ABOUT Guinness -- its history, evolution, and especially about how it became the phenomenon that inspires people to carry out such dedicated acts of nuttiness. A few weeks ago in New York, I saw a book profiled in the newspaper titled GETTING INTO GUINNESS by Larry Olmsted. Olmsted is a journalist as well as a two-time GBWR record-holder, and I gave it a try. Well, it's the perfect companion piece to the Guinness book; it puts everything into context and lets you feel like a real insider. 300 pages of fascinating real life stories about the quest for Guinness recordhood, and Amazon has it for under nine pounds. I'll be giving them together as a gift to my nephew. Buy them as a tandem (which is what I should have done) and you'd even get free shipping with Prime! Getting into Guinness: One Man's Longest, Fastest, Highest Journey Inside the World's Most Famous Record Book

No wonder this is the world's best selling book!, 23 Sep 2008
After having received Guinness World Records 2009, as a gift, I've realised just how good it is. I was in Tesco a few days ago, and flicked through it then. I thought it was good. But now I own it, it's enabled me to see the extent of just how good it is.

Saying that it's the best edition of Guinness World Records to date, and it is (no worries there), isn't really that much of an achievement. Saying, however, it's the best book I've ever read...the best book ever made...is.
And this is. It's crammed full of amazing achievements, epic engineering, fantastic feats, and much more amazing stuff to feast your eyes on.

Leaving `Ripley's: Believe It Or Not' for dead, GWR really have excelled themselves this time. It really is astonishing.
This year's edition also includes huge, awe-inspiring fold out 3D features, which are apparently obvious when you wear the 3D-glasses that are provided.
It's awesome!

- Revealed: the world's strongest man
- The record-breaking world of Harry Potter
- Inside the Hollywood Hall of Fame
- The top ten videogames of the year
- Face to face with dinosaurs in exciting 3D!
- Plus your favourite records country by country

All this can be found in the spectacular book that is Guinness World Records 2009.

I'd suggest going over to that bookshop, right this second, and buying a copy.
Guaranteed - you won't be disappointed.

Disappointing. A very dumbed down edition for children, 31 Oct 2008
I have had several editions of the Guinness World Records over the years and they have generally had a huge amount of content. This edition is much more like children's enclopedia than a serious books of records. There is much less material than normal and what little there is seemed to have been plucked almost at random and is poorly organised.

It may still appeal to children because of the numerous pictues. A few of these are 3D as advertised on the cover, and 3D glasses are included in the book so they can be veiwed.

Sport fans may appreciate the tables of sports records which is the only area where any of the formerly comprehensive coverage remains.

Readers who want a comprehenesive book of records would be much better off with a secondhand copy of an older edition.



The Best yet, 19 Oct 2008
I have collected plenty of copies of GWR but this excels all. The 3-D glasses bring the book to life.

The best gets better every year, 02 Oct 2008
I still buy and read the Guinness Record book every year, because it's become like an old friend that I like to catch up with, but I have to disagree with Birch East. I like the way it has changed and brings out a fresh look each year. The changes, like holograms, 3D whatever, make it fresh every year. My nephews also are big fans of the 3D gimmick.

I do agree with the recommendation for Getting Into Guinness: One Man's Longest, Fastest, Highest Journey Inside the World's Most Famous Record Book, the new book by Larry Olmsted about the history and culture of the Guinness World Records book. After reading his review I snapped up a copy and it is great--very entertaining and a fun read! I have read the record book for years but never stopped to wonder where it came from (Guinness Stout of course!), how it got so big, and how large a role it has played in pop culture, and just how crazy some of the record holders seem to be. Getting Into Guinness is the story behind the records and a fun, well researched, adult read.

Always the best, but this year I discovered something that makes it even better, 28 Sep 2008
I first read the Guinness Book of World Records when I was kid back in the 70s, and it's comforting to see it still going strong. I'll say that I definitely preferred the old school text-heavy versions from back in the day to the flourescent lime, 3D photography, picture-fest of today. It's a new world we live in now, so I guess it's hard to fault the Big G for keeping up with the times.

As much as I've long loved the Guinness book itself, I was always a little disappointed that there wasn't a good resource written ABOUT Guinness -- its history, evolution, and especially about how it became the phenomenon that inspires people to carry out such dedicated acts of nuttiness. A few weeks ago in New York, I saw a book profiled in the newspaper titled GETTING INTO GUINNESS by Larry Olmsted. Olmsted is a journalist as well as a two-time GBWR record-holder, and I gave it a try. Well, it's the perfect companion piece to the Guinness book; it puts everything into context and lets you feel like a real insider. 300 pages of fascinating real life stories about the quest for Guinness recordhood, and Amazon has it for under nine pounds. I'll be giving them together as a gift to my nephew. Buy them as a tandem (which is what I should have done) and you'd even get free shipping with Prime! Getting into Guinness: One Man's Longest, Fastest, Highest Journey Inside the World's Most Famous Record Book

No wonder this is the world's best selling book!, 23 Sep 2008
After having received Guinness World Records 2009, as a gift, I've realised just how good it is. I was in Tesco a few days ago, and flicked through it then. I thought it was good. But now I own it, it's enabled me to see the extent of just how good it is.

Saying that it's the best edition of Guinness World Records to date, and it is (no worries there), isn't really that much of an achievement. Saying, however, it's the best book I've ever read...the best book ever made...is.
And this is. It's crammed full of amazing achievements, epic engineering, fantastic feats, and much more amazing stuff to feast your eyes on.

Leaving `Ripley's: Believe It Or Not' for dead, GWR really have excelled themselves this time. It really is astonishing.
This year's edition also includes huge, awe-inspiring fold out 3D features, which are apparently obvious when you wear the 3D-glasses that are provided.
It's awesome!

- Revealed: the world's strongest man
- The record-breaking world of Harry Potter
- Inside the Hollywood Hall of Fame
- The top ten videogames of the year
- Face to face with dinosaurs in exciting 3D!
- Plus your favourite records country by country

All this can be found in the spectacular book that is Guinness World Records 2009.

I'd suggest going over to that bookshop, right this second, and buying a copy.
Guaranteed - you won't be disappointed.


A Stictly Girls Christmas Wish, 21 Oct 2008
Bright, Glossy with gossipy text and great photography. Flavia demonstrates many of the dances so you can have a go yourself. There is a quiz and judging page for you to mark. This is the perfect Christmas gift for my 9 year old grandaughter....... and I can see the whole family pressed into taking part on Christmas day!

Private Eye is required reading, as much for its straight journalism as for its satire, and the Annual has long been a fail-safe gift. As usual it takes the form of a scrap book of pieces from the year's Private Eye magazines, focusing on humorous pieces. Consequently, the book largely comprises short satirical squibs, along with spoof newspaper articles and letters and longer serials such as Never Too Old--a romantic novel based on the life of Rupert Murdoch which is as sharp on the genre as it is about the protagonists. Through these pieces, the Annual builds up a comprehensive overview of the year's news stories from Alan Clark's death to Big Brother with stories such as the Dome and the state of the rail service receiving extra scrutiny. These sections are particularly rewarding--the Railtrack disaster, for example, is covered from all sides in a variety of media, so that one spoof article highlights the attitude of hacks to train crashes, while another reports on Prescott's "firm undertaking to spend as much money as was necessary to close the stable door after the recent 'bolting' incident". At the same time a cartoon represents Blair telling Prescott "Good thinking, John--we've privatised the blame".

Cartoons feature strongly throughout. The Eye has some of the best artists in the country working for it and most are represented here, ranging from the black humour of McLachlan and Honeysett, whose scratchy line drawings have a beautiful delicacy which renders their subjects all the more disturbing, to the keenly observed social commentary of Heath, Pilbrow and Ken Pyne.

In the cartoon which forms the frontispiece of the annual Hunter observes that "A book is not just for Christmas". Although the Private Eye Annual is often to be found under the tree on Christmas morning, it gives pleasure throughout the year. --Anoushka Alexander

Disappointing. A very dumbed down edition for children, 31 Oct 2008
I have had several editions of the Guinness World Records over the years and they have generally had a huge amount of content. This edition is much more like children's enclopedia than a serious books of records. There is much less material than normal and what little there is seemed to have been plucked almost at random and is poorly organised.

It may still appeal to children because of the numerous pictues. A few of these are 3D as advertised on the cover, and 3D glasses are included in the book so they can be veiwed.

Sport fans may appreciate the tables of sports records which is the only area where any of the formerly comprehensive coverage remains.

Readers who want a comprehenesive book of records would be much better off with a secondhand copy of an older edition.



The Best yet, 19 Oct 2008
I have collected plenty of copies of GWR but this excels all. The 3-D glasses bring the book to life.

The best gets better every year, 02 Oct 2008
I still buy and read the Guinness Record book every year, because it's become like an old friend that I like to catch up with, but I have to disagree with Birch East. I like the way it has changed and brings out a fresh look each year. The changes, like holograms, 3D whatever, make it fresh every year. My nephews also are big fans of the 3D gimmick.

I do agree with the recommendation for Getting Into Guinness: One Man's Longest, Fastest, Highest Journey Inside the World's Most Famous Record Book, the new book by Larry Olmsted about the history and culture of the Guinness World Records book. After reading his review I snapped up a copy and it is great--very entertaining and a fun read! I have read the record book for years but never stopped to wonder where it came from (Guinness Stout of course!), how it got so big, and how large a role it has played in pop culture, and just how crazy some of the record holders seem to be. Getting Into Guinness is the story behind the records and a fun, well researched, adult read.

Always the best, but this year I discovered something that makes it even better, 28 Sep 2008
I first read the Guinness Book of World Records when I was kid back in the 70s, and it's comforting to see it still going strong. I'll say that I definitely preferred the old school text-heavy versions from back in the day to the flourescent lime, 3D photography, picture-fest of today. It's a new world we live in now, so I guess it's hard to fault the Big G for keeping up with the times.

As much as I've long loved the Guinness book itself, I was always a little disappointed that there wasn't a good resource written ABOUT Guinness -- its history, evolution, and especially about how it became the phenomenon that inspires people to carry out such dedicated acts of nuttiness. A few weeks ago in New York, I saw a book profiled in the newspaper titled GETTING INTO GUINNESS by Larry Olmsted. Olmsted is a journalist as well as a two-time GBWR record-holder, and I gave it a try. Well, it's the perfect companion piece to the Guinness book; it puts everything into context and lets you feel like a real insider. 300 pages of fascinating real life stories about the quest for Guinness recordhood, and Amazon has it for under nine pounds. I'll be giving them together as a gift to my nephew. Buy them as a tandem (which is what I should have done) and you'd even get free shipping with Prime! Getting into Guinness: One Man's Longest, Fastest, Highest Journey Inside the World's Most Famous Record Book

No wonder this is the world's best selling book!, 23 Sep 2008
After having received Guinness World Records 2009, as a gift, I've realised just how good it is. I was in Tesco a few days ago, and flicked through it then. I thought it was good. But now I own it, it's enabled me to see the extent of just how good it is.

Saying that it's the best edition of Guinness World Records to date, and it is (no worries there), isn't really that much of an achievement. Saying, however, it's the best book I've ever read...the best book ever made...is.
And this is. It's crammed full of amazing achievements, epic engineering, fantastic feats, and much more amazing stuff to feast your eyes on.

Leaving `Ripley's: Believe It Or Not' for dead, GWR really have excelled themselves this time. It really is astonishing.
This year's edition also includes huge, awe-inspiring fold out 3D features, which are apparently obvious when you wear the 3D-glasses that are provided.
It's awesome!

- Revealed: the world's strongest man
- The record-breaking world of Harry Potter
- Inside the Hollywood Hall of Fame
- The top ten videogames of the year
- Face to face with dinosaurs in exciting 3D!
- Plus your favourite records country by country

All this can be found in the spectacular book that is Guinness World Records 2009.

I'd suggest going over to that bookshop, right this second, and buying a copy.
Guaranteed - you won't be disappointed.


A Stictly Girls Christmas Wish, 21 Oct 2008
Bright, Glossy with gossipy text and great photography. Flavia demonstrates many of the dances so you can have a go yourself. There is a quiz and judging page for you to mark. This is the perfect Christmas gift for my 9 year old grandaughter....... and I can see the whole family pressed into taking part on Christmas day!

A satirical swipe from the masters of m (That's enough. -Ed), 04 Jan 2001
As the sun sets on the old millennium (or is it just the first year of the new millennium? I'm too old to remember) the Private Eye team, headed by editor Ian Hislop, show once and for all that they are far superior to Mohammed Al-Fugger's millions of unsold copies of the humorous magazine 'Punch'. That glossy rag is only one of the Eye's favourite targets, along with countless others that are guaranteed to make your in-jokes unintelligible to dinner-party guests. Buy two and give one to your partner - so there's someone else who'll understand your references. Private Eye mocks so many areas of society and political views that one has to wonder whether contributors have any beliefs at all. Lookalikes, E.J. Thribb poems, I-Spy and newspaper cuttings all appear regularly, as do columnists Glenda Slagg, Polly Filler and the ubiquitous Phil Space, who sets about the daunting task of churning out thousands of words on any current news item (from 'Man On TV Splits Up With Blonde Wife' to 'Woman Who Used To Be On TV But Isn't Any More Isn't As Fat Now As She Was Before') to fill up the pages of such papers as the Sexpress, the Grauniad, the Indescribablyboring and the Spectacularlystupid. The Eye takes no prisoners whilst satirising, so after coverage of a major tragedy you can expect to see four or five letters from disgusted, sensitive souls from Tunbridge Wells saying how they're sympathetically cancelling their subscriptions. But Private Eye also has a serious side. It regularly exposes major cant and corruption, and gives serious criticism of anything worth commenting upon; sadly, only the articles and cartoons find their way into the annual. This is still a good enough reason for buying the book: at best, Private Eye is a hilarious work of genius; at worst, only very, very funny. (Will this do? -O.L.)

The Official Manchester United Annual chronicles the club's incredible 2008/09 Premier League and Champions League winning season. Featuring Michael Carrick's personal season diary, it profiles new United stars including Anderson, Hargreaves, Nani and Tevez, as well as established favourites Ferdinand, Giggs, Ronaldo and Rooney.

The annual also contains superb action shots and behind-the-scenes photographs, an insight into the club, and fascinating interviews with the leading players.

Additional features include a full 2008/09 season fixture list and top player and staff tips on how to improve your own game.

A perfect stocking filler for all Reds fans!

Pages: 64
Hardcover

Chelsea 2009 Official Annual

Disappointing. A very dumbed down edition for children, 31 Oct 2008
I have had several editions of the Guinness World Records over the years and they have generally had a huge amount of content. This edition is much more like children's enclopedia than a serious books of records. There is much less material than normal and what little there is seemed to have been plucked almost at random and is poorly organised.

It may still appeal to children because of the numerous pictues. A few of these are 3D as advertised on the cover, and 3D glasses are included in the book so they can be veiwed.

Sport fans may appreciate the tables of sports records which is the only area where any of the formerly comprehensive coverage remains.

Readers who want a comprehenesive book of records would be much better off with a secondhand copy of an older edition.



The Best yet, 19 Oct 2008
I have collected plenty of copies of GWR but this excels all. The 3-D glasses bring the book to life.

The best gets better every year, 02 Oct 2008
I still buy and read the Guinness Record book every year, because it's become like an old friend that I like to catch up with, but I have to disagree with Birch East. I like the way it has changed and brings out a fresh look each year. The changes, like holograms, 3D whatever, make it fresh every year. My nephews also are big fans of the 3D gimmick.

I do agree with the recommendation for Getting Into Guinness: One Man's Longest, Fastest, Highest Journey Inside the World's Most Famous Record Book, the new book by Larry Olmsted about the history and culture of the Guinness World Records book. After reading his review I snapped up a copy and it is great--very entertaining and a fun read! I have read the record book for years but never stopped to wonder where it came from (Guinness Stout of course!), how it got so big, and how large a role it has played in pop culture, and just how crazy some of the record holders seem to be. Getting Into Guinness is the story behind the records and a fun, well researched, adult read.

Always the best, but this year I discovered something that makes it even better, 28 Sep 2008
I first read the Guinness Book of World Records when I was kid back in the 70s, and it's comforting to see it still going strong. I'll say that I definitely preferred the old school text-heavy versions from back in the day to the flourescent lime, 3D photography, picture-fest of today. It's a new world we live in now, so I guess it's hard to fault the Big G for keeping up with the times.

As much as I've long loved the Guinness book itself, I was always a little disappointed that there wasn't a good resource written ABOUT Guinness -- its history, evolution, and especially about how it became the phenomenon that inspires people to carry out such dedicated acts of nuttiness. A few weeks ago in New York, I saw a book profiled in the newspaper titled GETTING INTO GUINNESS by Larry Olmsted. Olmsted is a journalist as well as a two-time GBWR record-holder, and I gave it a try. Well, it's the perfect companion piece to the Guinness book; it puts everything into context and lets you feel like a real insider. 300 pages of fascinating real life stories about the quest for Guinness recordhood, and Amazon has it for under nine pounds. I'll be giving them together as a gift to my nephew. Buy them as a tandem (which is what I should have done) and you'd even get free shipping with Prime! Getting into Guinness: One Man's Longest, Fastest, Highest Journey Inside the World's Most Famous Record Book

No wonder this is the world's best selling book!, 23 Sep 2008
After having received Guinness World Records 2009, as a gift, I've realised just how good it is. I was in Tesco a few days ago, and flicked through it then. I thought it was good. But now I own it, it's enabled me to see the extent of just how good it is.

Saying that it's the best edition of Guinness World Records to date, and it is (no worries there), isn't really that much of an achievement. Saying, however, it's the best book I've ever read...the best book ever made...is.
And this is. It's crammed full of amazing achievements, epic engineering, fantastic feats, and much more amazing stuff to feast your eyes on.

Leaving `Ripley's: Believe It Or Not' for dead, GWR really have excelled themselves this time. It really is astonishing.
This year's edition also includes huge, awe-inspiring fold out 3D features, which are apparently obvious when you wear the 3D-glasses that are provided.
It's awesome!

- Revealed: the world's strongest man
- The record-breaking world of Harry Potter
- Inside the Hollywood Hall of Fame
- The top ten videogames of the year
- Face to face with dinosaurs in exciting 3D!
- Plus your favourite records country by country

All this can be found in the spectacular book that is Guinness World Records 2009.

I'd suggest going over to that bookshop, right this second, and buying a copy.
Guaranteed - you won't be disappointed.


A Stictly Girls Christmas Wish, 21 Oct 2008
Bright, Glossy with gossipy text and great photography. Flavia demonstrates many of the dances so you can have a go yourself. There is a quiz and judging page for you to mark. This is the perfect Christmas gift for my 9 year old grandaughter....... and I can see the whole family pressed into taking part on Christmas day!

A satirical swipe from the masters of m (That's enough. -Ed), 04 Jan 2001
As the sun sets on the old millennium (or is it just the first year of the new millennium? I'm too old to remember) the Private Eye team, headed by editor Ian Hislop, show once and for all that they are far superior to Mohammed Al-Fugger's millions of unsold copies of the humorous magazine 'Punch'. That glossy rag is only one of the Eye's favourite targets, along with countless others that are guaranteed to make your in-jokes unintelligible to dinner-party guests. Buy two and give one to your partner - so there's someone else who'll understand your references. Private Eye mocks so many areas of society and political views that one has to wonder whether contributors have any beliefs at all. Lookalikes, E.J. Thribb poems, I-Spy and newspaper cuttings all appear regularly, as do columnists Glenda Slagg, Polly Filler and the ubiquitous Phil Space, who sets about the daunting task of churning out thousands of words on any current news item (from 'Man On TV Splits Up With Blonde Wife' to 'Woman Who Used To Be On TV But Isn't Any More Isn't As Fat Now As She Was Before') to fill up the pages of such papers as the Sexpress, the Grauniad, the Indescribablyboring and the Spectacularlystupid. The Eye takes no prisoners whilst satirising, so after coverage of a major tragedy you can expect to see four or five letters from disgusted, sensitive souls from Tunbridge Wells saying how they're sympathetically cancelling their subscriptions. But Private Eye also has a serious side. It regularly exposes major cant and corruption, and gives serious criticism of anything worth commenting upon; sadly, only the articles and cartoons find their way into the annual. This is still a good enough reason for buying the book: at best, Private Eye is a hilarious work of genius; at worst, only very, very funny. (Will this do? -O.L.)

A yearly treat - 2009 keeps up the standard, 09 Nov 2008
With a cut-off date of mid-September, the 2009 edition (which is really September 2007 to September 2008) misses the financial market collapse and the election of Barack Obama, for which we will have to wait for the 2010 edition.

Nevertheless, as in previous years the 2009 edition is well worth having for its entertaining mix of current events and trivia. Detail on the growth of fuel poverty and death tolls in Iraq are balanced with reminders of soap-star gossip and lists of useless statistics. Apparently, 45% of eleven year olds say they would rather read a book than watch tv, up from 38% on 2004 - good news for Amazon!

There is something here for everyone


Informative and entertaining, 04 Nov 2006
Ben Schott's trivia collections lend themselves to the format of an annual almanac and the good news is that this tome is up to the same standard as his previous books, with lots of nuggets of information you didn't know you didn't know but which are strangely fascinating.

I love the mix of modern up-to-date information with the Victorian-style presentation and quaint illustrations. There is also a review of major news highlights of the year.

Overall this is an ideal Christmas present, the sort of thing you can dip into again and again. It beats socks anyway.



The Modern Year With an Archiac Twist, 13 May 2006
For quite some time, I had been an annual buyer of such almanacs such as "The World Almanac", "Harris' Farmer's Almanac", and the "Farmer's Almanac" - Until I came across Schott's Almanac. The book is a wonderful compilation of the year - providing more information than the three aforementioned almanacs together. Separated into 13 sections (Chronicle, The World, Society & Health, Media & Celebrity, Music & Cinema, Books & Arts, Sci, Tech, Net, Travel & Leisure, Money, Parliament & Politics, Establishment & Faith, Sport, Ephemeridies), Scott's Alamanac presents the modern year with an archiac twist. A MUST have.

Finally - a seriously entertaining Almanac, 27 Feb 2006
SCHOTT'S ALMANAC answers a need that, while not exactly pressing, had existed for many years: namely, the need for a serious, yet entertaining almanac. For too long, yearbooks have either been dull (Whitacker's) or frivolous (Guinness) - SCHOTT's is neither. Rather it tells you everything you need to know about the year, as well as the more unusual and entertaining aspects. I have often thought, when reading old newspapers, that the adverts are just as interesting as the articles. SCHOTT's ALMANAC manages to convey the "feeling" of the year (from its curious words to its curious characters) while also presenting the key "news" facts. And, like all Ben Schott books, SCHOTT's ALMANAC is very beautiful. Lovely type, wonderful graphics, and superb little pen-portraits. It is a joy to read, and a joy to flick through. Certainly one to collect.

A trivia goldmine, 20 Feb 2006
Ben Schott has excelled once again with this fantastic miscellany of useful and - dare I say it - useless trivia. The presentation is as is usual from him really easy to read and is in the style of all his other books.

This book will keep you enthralled for hours although you may not remember the vast majority of it, it is a book one can read from cover to cover or just dip into now and again.

Buy it and be amazed.

Disappointing. A very dumbed down edition for children, 31 Oct 2008
I have had several editions of the Guinness World Records over the years and they have generally had a huge amount of content. This edition is much more like children's enclopedia than a serious books of records. There is much less material than normal and what little there is seemed to have been plucked almost at random and is poorly organised.

It may still appeal to children because of the numerous pictues. A few of these are 3D as advertised on the cover, and 3D glasses are included in the book so they can be veiwed.

Sport fans may appreciate the tables of sports records which is the only area where any of the formerly comprehensive coverage remains.

Readers who want a comprehenesive book of records would be much better off with a secondhand copy of an older edition.



The Best yet, 19 Oct 2008
I have collected plenty of copies of GWR but this excels all. The 3-D glasses bring the book to life.

The best gets better every year, 02 Oct 2008
I still buy and read the Guinness Record book every year, because it's become like an old friend that I like to catch up with, but I have to disagree with Birch East. I like the way it has changed and brings out a fresh look each year. The changes, like holograms, 3D whatever, make it fresh every year. My nephews also are big fans of the 3D gimmick.

I do agree with the recommendation for Getting Into Guinness: One Man's Longest, Fastest, Highest Journey Inside the World's Most Famous Record Book, the new book by Larry Olmsted about the history and culture of the Guinness World Records book. After reading his review I snapped up a copy and it is great--very entertaining and a fun read! I have read the record book for years but never stopped to wonder where it came from (Guinness Stout of course!), how it got so big, and how large a role it has played in pop culture, and just how crazy some of the record holders seem to be. Getting Into Guinness is the story behind the records and a fun, well researched, adult read.

Always the best, but this year I discovered something that makes it even better, 28 Sep 2008
I first read the Guinness Book of World Records when I was kid back in the 70s, and it's comforting to see it still going strong. I'll say that I definitely preferred the old school text-heavy versions from back in the day to the flourescent lime, 3D photography, picture-fest of today. It's a new world we live in now, so I guess it's hard to fault the Big G for keeping up with the times.

As much as I've long loved the Guinness book itself, I was always a little disappointed that there wasn't a good resource written ABOUT Guinness -- its history, evolution, and especially about how it became the phenomenon that inspires people to carry out such dedicated acts of nuttiness. A few weeks ago in New York, I saw a book profiled in the newspaper titled GETTING INTO GUINNESS by Larry Olmsted. Olmsted is a journalist as well as a two-time GBWR record-holder, and I gave it a try. Well, it's the perfect companion piece to the Guinness book; it puts everything into context and lets you feel like a real insider. 300 pages of fascinating real life stories about the quest for Guinness recordhood, and Amazon has it for under nine pounds. I'll be giving them together as a gift to my nephew. Buy them as a tandem (which is what I should have done) and you'd even get free shipping with Prime! Getting into Guinness: One Man's Longest, Fastest, Highest Journey Inside the World's Most Famous Record Book

No wonder this is the world's best selling book!, 23 Sep 2008
After having received Guinness World Records 2009, as a gift, I've realised just how good it is. I was in Tesco a few days ago, and flicked through it then. I thought it was good. But now I own it, it's enabled me to see the extent of just how good it is.

Saying that it's the best edition of Guinness World Records to date, and it is (no worries there), isn't really that much of an achievement. Saying, however, it's the best book I've ever read...the best book ever made...is.
And this is. It's crammed full of amazing achievements, epic engineering, fantastic feats, and much more amazing stuff to feast your eyes on.

Leaving `Ripley's: Believe It Or Not' for dead, GWR really have excelled themselves this time. It really is astonishing.
This year's edition also includes huge, awe-inspiring fold out 3D features, which are apparently obvious when you wear the 3D-glasses that are provided.
It's awesome!

- Revealed: the world's strongest man
- The record-breaking world of Harry Potter
- Inside the Hollywood Hall of Fame
- The top ten videogames of the year
- Face to face with dinosaurs in exciting 3D!
- Plus your favourite records country by country

All this can be found in the spectacular book that is Guinness World Records 2009.

I'd suggest going over to that bookshop, right this second, and buying a copy.
Guaranteed - you won't be disappointed.


A Stictly Girls Christmas Wish, 21 Oct 2008
Bright, Glossy with gossipy text and great photography. Flavia demonstrates many of the dances so you can have a go yourself. There is a quiz and judging page for you to mark. This is the perfect Christmas gift for my 9 year old grandaughter....... and I can see the whole family pressed into taking part on Christmas day!

A satirical swipe from the masters of m (That's enough. -Ed), 04 Jan 2001
As the sun sets on the old millennium (or is it just the first year of the new millennium? I'm too old to remember) the Private Eye team, headed by editor Ian Hislop, show once and for all that they are far superior to Mohammed Al-Fugger's millions of unsold copies of the humorous magazine 'Punch'. That glossy rag is only one of the Eye's favourite targets, along with countless others that are guaranteed to make your in-jokes unintelligible to dinner-party guests. Buy two and give one to your partner - so there's someone else who'll understand your references. Private Eye mocks so many areas of society and political views that one has to wonder whether contributors have any beliefs at all. Lookalikes, E.J. Thribb poems, I-Spy and newspaper cuttings all appear regularly, as do columnists Glenda Slagg, Polly Filler and the ubiquitous Phil Space, who sets about the daunting task of churning out thousands of words on any current news item (from 'Man On TV Splits Up With Blonde Wife' to 'Woman Who Used To Be On TV But Isn't Any More Isn't As Fat Now As She Was Before') to fill up the pages of such papers as the Sexpress, the Grauniad, the Indescribablyboring and the Spectacularlystupid. The Eye takes no prisoners whilst satirising, so after coverage of a major tragedy you can expect to see four or five letters from disgusted, sensitive souls from Tunbridge Wells saying how they're sympathetically cancelling their subscriptions. But Private Eye also has a serious side. It regularly exposes major cant and corruption, and gives serious criticism of anything worth commenting upon; sadly, only the articles and cartoons find their way into the annual. This is still a good enough reason for buying the book: at best, Private Eye is a hilarious work of genius; at worst, only very, very funny. (Will this do? -O.L.)

A yearly treat - 2009 keeps up the standard, 09 Nov 2008
With a cut-off date of mid-September, the 2009 edition (which is really September 2007 to September 2008) misses the financial market collapse and the election of Barack Obama, for which we will have to wait for the 2010 edition.

Nevertheless, as in previous years the 2009 edition is well worth having for its entertaining mix of current events and trivia. Detail on the growth of fuel poverty and death tolls in Iraq are balanced with reminders of soap-star gossip and lists of useless statistics. Apparently, 45% of eleven year olds say they would rather read a book than watch tv, up from 38% on 2004 - good news for Amazon!

There is something here for everyone


Informative and entertaining, 04 Nov 2006
Ben Schott's trivia collections lend themselves to the format of an annual almanac and the good news is that this tome is up to the same standard as his previous books, with lots of nuggets of information you didn't know you didn't know but which are strangely fascinating.

I love the mix of modern up-to-date information with the Victorian-style presentation and quaint illustrations. There is also a review of major news highlights of the year.

Overall this is an ideal Christmas present, the sort of thing you can dip into again and again. It beats socks anyway.



The Modern Year With an Archiac Twist, 13 May 2006
For quite some time, I had been an annual buyer of such almanacs such as "The World Almanac", "Harris' Farmer's Almanac", and the "Farmer's Almanac" - Until I came across Schott's Almanac. The book is a wonderful compilation of the year - providing more information than the three aforementioned almanacs together. Separated into 13 sections (Chronicle, The World, Society & Health, Media & Celebrity, Music & Cinema, Books & Arts, Sci, Tech, Net, Travel & Leisure, Money, Parliament & Politics, Establishment & Faith, Sport, Ephemeridies), Scott's Alamanac presents the modern year with an archiac twist. A MUST have.

Finally - a seriously entertaining Almanac, 27 Feb 2006
SCHOTT'S ALMANAC answers a need that, while not exactly pressing, had existed for many years: namely, the need for a serious, yet entertaining almanac. For too long, yearbooks have either been dull (Whitacker's) or frivolous (Guinness) - SCHOTT's is neither. Rather it tells you everything you need to know about the year, as well as the more unusual and entertaining aspects. I have often thought, when reading old newspapers, that the adverts are just as interesting as the articles. SCHOTT's ALMANAC manages to convey the "feeling" of the year (from its curious words to its curious characters) while also presenting the key "news" facts. And, like all Ben Schott books, SCHOTT's ALMANAC is very beautiful. Lovely type, wonderful graphics, and superb little pen-portraits. It is a joy to read, and a joy to flick through. Certainly one to collect.

A trivia goldmine, 20 Feb 2006
Ben Schott has excelled once again with this fantastic miscellany of useful and - dare I say it - useless trivia. The presentation is as is usual from him really easy to read and is in the style of all his other books.

This book will keep you enthralled for hours although you may not remember the vast majority of it, it is a book one can read from cover to cover or just dip into now and again.

Buy it and be amazed.

Excellent guide - informative and comprehensive, 14 Oct 2008
"The Writers' and Artist's Yearbook" (W&AY), published by A&C Black, has a long-standing reputation as a 'must-have' for any writer looking to get into publication. While a number of similar books now exist - including "The Writer's Handbook" (TWH), published by Macmillan, and "Writer's Market" (WM), published by David & Charles Ltd - W&AY remains the original font of knowledge, and for me, the premier choice.

All of these books contain roughly the same extensive listings of publishers, agents, print media, producers etc, and in truth there is little to choose between them. Indeed the competition is gradually catching up, and it is notable that TWH has undergone a major facelift for this year. Of course a lot will come down to personal preference regarding the layout of the different books, and so if you can get the chance to compare them before you buy, all the better.

What makes the W&AY stand out is the wealth of advice it contains (nearly 200 pages' worth) from professional writers, publishers, agents and producers. In separate articles, famous authors such as Joanna Trollope, Terry Pratchett, Bernard Cornwell and J.K. Rowling address various aspects of the writing process and discuss a wide variety of genres. Many other highly informative pieces cover diverse issues such as self-publishing, marketing your book, writing for TV, radio and theatre, the electronic world of websites and e-publishing, and financial aspects such as tax. This makes the W&AY more than simply a listings book - it is, in effect, an introduction to the entire world of writing. Much overlooked is of course the fact that this is a yearbook for artists too. Correspondingly there are sections for the budding illustrator and photographer in the W&AY which are not to be found in the other guides.

There is much that is new for 2009, too. Although a couple of articles have been dropped, 7 new ones have been added, as well as a fresh foreword by Kate Mosse (author of 'Labyrinth' and 'Sepulchre', among other works). These new articles cover a range of topics, including: mind, body and spirit writing; e-books; and books published from blogs. There are also new pieces from Neil Gaiman, celebrated poet Benjamin Zephaniah, and Radio 4's The Archers scriptwriter Mary Cutler. Is it worth upgrading to the 2009 edition, then? For the articles alone - fascinating though they are - probably not. On the other hand, the advantage of having fully up-to-date listings counts for a great deal, especially if you are already looking for an agent or publisher. And at the price it is currently being offered by Amazon, it is surely a worthwhile investment.

All in all, this is an excellent and comprehensive guide. Definitely recommended for the aspiring writer or artist.

Disappointing. A very dumbed down edition for children, 31 Oct 2008
I have had several editions of the Guinness World Records over the years and they have generally had a huge amount of content. This edition is much more like children's enclopedia than a serious books of records. There is much less material than normal and what little there is seemed to have been plucked almost at random and is poorly organised.

It may still appeal to children because of the numerous pictues. A few of these are 3D as advertised on the cover, and 3D glasses are included in the book so they can be veiwed.

Sport fans may appreciate the tables of sports records which is the only area where any of the formerly comprehensive coverage remains.

Readers who want a comprehenesive book of records would be much better off with a secondhand copy of an older edition.



The Best yet, 19 Oct 2008
I have collected plenty of copies of GWR but this excels all. The 3-D glasses bring the book to life.

The best gets better every year, 02 Oct 2008
I still buy and read the Guinness Record book every year, because it's become like an old friend that I like to catch up with, but I have to disagree with Birch East. I like the way it has changed and brings out a fresh look each year. The changes, like holograms, 3D whatever, make it fresh every year. My nephews also are big fans of the 3D gimmick.

I do agree with the recommendation for Getting Into Guinness: One Man's Longest, Fastest, Highest Journey Inside the World's Most Famous Record Book, the new book by Larry Olmsted about the history and culture of the Guinness World Records book. After reading his review I snapped up a copy and it is great--very entertaining and a fun read! I have read the record book for years but never stopped to wonder where it came from (Guinness Stout of course!), how it got so big, and how large a role it has played in pop culture, and just how crazy some of the record holders seem to be. Getting Into Guinness is the story behind the records and a fun, well researched, adult read.

Always the best, but this year I discovered something that makes it even better, 28 Sep 2008
I first read the Guinness Book of World Records when I was kid back in the 70s, and it's comforting to see it still going strong. I'll say that I definitely preferred the old school text-heavy versions from back in the day to the flourescent lime, 3D photography, picture-fest of today. It's a new world we live in now, so I guess it's hard to fault the Big G for keeping up with the times.

As much as I've long loved the Guinness book itself, I was always a little disappointed that there wasn't a good resource written ABOUT Guinness -- its history, evolution, and especially about how it became the phenomenon that inspires people to carry out such dedicated acts of nuttiness. A few weeks ago in New York, I saw a book profiled in the newspaper titled GETTING INTO GUINNESS by Larry Olmsted. Olmsted is a journalist as well as a two-time GBWR record-holder, and I gave it a try. Well, it's the perfect companion piece to the Guinness book; it puts everything into context and lets you feel like a real insider. 300 pages of fascinating real life stories about the quest for Guinness recordhood, and Amazon has it for under nine pounds. I'll be giving them together as a gift to my nephew. Buy them as a tandem (which is what I should have done) and you'd even get free shipping with Prime! Getting into Guinness: One Man's Longest, Fastest, Highest Journey Inside the World's Most Famous Record Book

No wonder this is the world's best selling book!, 23 Sep 2008
After having received Guinness World Records 2009, as a gift, I've realised just how good it is. I was in Tesco a few days ago, and flicked through it then. I thought it was good. But now I own it, it's enabled me to see the extent of just how good it is.

Saying that it's the best edition of Guinness World Records to date, and it is (no worries there), isn't really that much of an achievement. Saying, however, it's the best book I've ever read...the best book ever made...is.
And this is. It's crammed full of amazing achievements, epic engineering, fantastic feats, and much more amazing stuff to feast your eyes on.

Leaving `Ripley's: Believe It Or Not' for dead, GWR really have excelled themselves this time. It really is astonishing.
This year's edition also includes huge, awe-inspiring fold out 3D features, which are apparently obvious when you wear the 3D-glasses that are provided.
It's awesome!

- Revealed: the world's strongest man
- The record-breaking world of Harry Potter
- Inside the Hollywood Hall of Fame
- The top ten videogames of the year
- Face to face with dinosaurs in exciting 3D!
- Plus your favourite records country by country

All this can be found in the spectacular book that is Guinness World Records 2009.

I'd suggest going over to that bookshop, right this second, and buying a copy.
Guaranteed - you won't be disappointed.


A Stictly Girls Christmas Wish, 21 Oct 2008
Bright, Glossy with gossipy text and great photography. Flavia demonstrates many of the dances so you can have a go yourself. There is a quiz and judging page for you to mark. This is the perfect Christmas gift for my 9 year old grandaughter....... and I can see the whole family pressed into taking part on Christmas day!

A satirical swipe from the masters of m (That's enough. -Ed), 04 Jan 2001
As the sun sets on the old millennium (or is it just the first year of the new millennium? I'm too old to remember) the Private Eye team, headed by editor Ian Hislop, show once and for all that they are far superior to Mohammed Al-Fugger's millions of unsold copies of the humorous magazine 'Punch'. That glossy rag is only one of the Eye's favourite targets, along with countless others that are guaranteed to make your in-jokes unintelligible to dinner-party guests. Buy two and give one to your partner - so there's someone else who'll understand your references. Private Eye mocks so many areas of society and political views that one has to wonder whether contributors have any beliefs at all. Lookalikes, E.J. Thribb poems, I-Spy and newspaper cuttings all appear regularly, as do columnists Glenda Slagg, Polly Filler and the ubiquitous Phil Space, who sets about the daunting task of churning out thousands of words on any current news item (from 'Man On TV Splits Up With Blonde Wife' to 'Woman Who Used To Be On TV But Isn't Any More Isn't As Fat Now As She Was Before') to fill up the pages of such papers as the Sexpress, the Grauniad, the Indescribablyboring and the Spectacularlystupid. The Eye takes no prisoners whilst satirising, so after coverage of a major tragedy you can expect to see four or five letters from disgusted, sensitive souls from Tunbridge Wells saying how they're sympathetically cancelling their subscriptions. But Private Eye also has a serious side. It regularly exposes major cant and corruption, and gives serious criticism of anything worth commenting upon; sadly, only the articles and cartoons find their way into the annual. This is still a good enough reason for buying the book: at best, Private Eye is a hilarious work of genius; at worst, only very, very funny. (Will this do? -O.L.)

A yearly treat - 2009 keeps up the standard, 09 Nov 2008
With a cut-off date of mid-September, the 2009 edition (which is really September 2007 to September 2008) misses the financial market collapse and the election of Barack Obama, for which we will have to wait for the 2010 edition.

Nevertheless, as in previous years the 2009 edition is well worth having for its entertaining mix of current events and trivia. Detail on the growth of fuel poverty and death tolls in Iraq are balanced with reminders of soap-star gossip and lists of useless statistics. Apparently, 45% of eleven year olds say they would rather read a book than watch tv, up from 38% on 2004 - good news for Amazon!

There is something here for everyone


Informative and entertaining, 04 Nov 2006
Ben Schott's trivia collections lend themselves to the format of an annual almanac and the good news is that this tome is up to the same standard as his previous books, with lots of nuggets of information you didn't know you didn't know but which are strangely fascinating.

I love the mix of modern up-to-date information with the Victorian-style presentation and quaint illustrations. There is also a review of major news highlights of the year.

Overall this is an ideal Christmas present, the sort of thing you can dip into again and again. It beats socks anyway.



The Modern Year With an Archiac Twist, 13 May 2006
For quite some time, I had been an annual buyer of such almanacs such as "The World Almanac", "Harris' Farmer's Almanac", and the "Farmer's Almanac" - Until I came across Schott's Almanac. The book is a wonderful compilation of the year - providing more information than the three aforementioned almanacs together. Separated into 13 sections (Chronicle, The World, Society & Health, Media & Celebrity, Music & Cinema, Books & Arts, Sci, Tech, Net, Travel & Leisure, Money, Parliament & Politics, Establishment & Faith, Sport, Ephemeridies), Scott's Alamanac presents the modern year with an archiac twist. A MUST have.

Finally - a seriously entertaining Almanac, 27 Feb 2006
SCHOTT'S ALMANAC answers a need that, while not exactly pressing, had existed for many years: namely, the need for a serious, yet entertaining almanac. For too long, yearbooks have either been dull (Whitacker's) or frivolous (Guinness) - SCHOTT's is neither. Rather it tells you everything you need to know about the year, as well as the more unusual and entertaining aspects. I have often thought, when reading old newspapers, that the adverts are just as interesting as the articles. SCHOTT's ALMANAC manages to convey the "feeling" of the year (from its curious words to its curious characters) while also presenting the key "news" facts. And, like all Ben Schott books, SCHOTT's ALMANAC is very beautiful. Lovely type, wonderful graphics, and superb little pen-portraits. It is a joy to read, and a joy to flick through. Certainly one to collect.

A trivia goldmine, 20 Feb 2006
Ben Schott has excelled once again with this fantastic miscellany of useful and - dare I say it - useless trivia. The presentation is as is usual from him really easy to read and is in the style of all his other books.

This book will keep you enthralled for hours although you may not remember the vast majority of it, it is a book one can read from cover to cover or just dip into now and again.

Buy it and be amazed.

Excellent guide - informative and comprehensive, 14 Oct 2008
"The Writers' and Artist's Yearbook" (W&AY), published by A&C Black, has a long-standing reputation as a 'must-have' for any writer looking to get into publication. While a number of similar books now exist - including "The Writer's Handbook" (TWH), published by Macmillan, and "Writer's Market" (WM), published by David & Charles Ltd - W&AY remains the original font of knowledge, and for me, the premier choice.

All of these books contain roughly the same extensive listings of publishers, agents, print media, producers etc, and in truth there is little to choose between them. Indeed the competition is gradually catching up, and it is notable that TWH has undergone a major facelift for this year. Of course a lot will come down to personal preference regarding the layout of the different books, and so if you can get the chance to compare them before you buy, all the better.

What makes the W&AY stand out is the wealth of advice it contains (nearly 200 pages' worth) from professional writers, publishers, agents and producers. In separate articles, famous authors such as Joanna Trollope, Terry Pratchett, Bernard Cornwell and J.K. Rowling address various aspects of the writing process and discuss a wide variety of genres. Many other highly informative pieces cover diverse issues such as self-publishing, marketing your book, writing for TV, radio and theatre, the electronic world of websites and e-publishing, and financial aspects such as tax. This makes the W&AY more than simply a listings book - it is, in effect, an introduction to the entire world of writing. Much overlooked is of course the fact that this is a yearbook for artists too. Correspondingly there are sections for the budding illustrator and photographer in the W&AY which are not to be found in the other guides.

There is much that is new for 2009, too. Although a couple of articles have been dropped, 7 new ones have been added, as well as a fresh foreword by Kate Mosse (author of 'Labyrinth' and 'Sepulchre', among other works). These new articles cover a range of topics, including: mind, body and spirit writing; e-books; and books published from blogs. There are also new pieces from Neil Gaiman, celebrated poet Benjamin Zephaniah, and Radio 4's The Archers scriptwriter Mary Cutler. Is it worth upgrading to the 2009 edition, then? For the articles alone - fascinating though they are - probably not. On the other hand, the advantage of having fully up-to-date listings counts for a great deal, especially if you are already looking for an agent or publisher. And at the price it is currently being offered by Amazon, it is surely a worthwhile investment.

All in all, this is an excellent and comprehensive guide. Definitely recommended for the aspiring writer or artist.

QI - Quite Interesting and quite informative, really!, 14 Oct 2008
As an Australian fan of QI, but still catching up on the publications, I'm a recent reader of a few QI books. The QI Annual brought back meories of the annuals of my childhood, but without the daft makeup tips and silly advice on boys! The QI Annual doesn't aim to be a deadly serious tome full of staid facts and figures, the QI team have done a fabulous job in making the books informative yet fun. I've read the Annual several times, yet I always manage to find something interesting I didn't see earlier. Great for trivia buffs and myth exploders, or anyone who has a fascination for interesting tidbits. A great companion to the show, and a must for all QI Fans.
I already have the QI Annual 2009 on pre-order!

Amazing, 22 Jan 2008
If you like the series, then you will love the book. It is split in very small pieces of information, which makes it ideal for commuting. I recommend it!

Barely interesting and doesn't transfer, 13 Jan 2008
I love the TV show QI. I'm a fan of most of the guests, have seen several in live gigs or else read a number of their various books, I've got the first series box set, the first DVD game and the Book of General Ignorance. Like I say, I'm a fan.

I'm also a fan of the TV comedy spin-off book - the Goodies books, the Young Ones, Morcambe and Wise, the New Statesman for example - were all grab bags of daft snippets, spoof documents, and other original material. This is genre of book which seemed to have gone out of favour for a while but has come back well lately with Al Murray's Pub Landlord's Book of British Common Sense and Borat's Touristic Guidings.

The QI Annual is along similar lines. It is stylishly presented - having a nice Beano annual look - and the contents are a more or less original miscellany of sideways-looking snippets, interesting facts and articles.

There are, to my mind, two vital ingredients to the concept and the appeal of QI: one is the spontaneous interplay between the guests and the other is the overturning of received wisdom. The currency of the show - its interesting facts - are usually all the more interesting because they are so little-known and bizarre or because they refute commonly held 'knowledge'. Both of these key ingredients are totally absent from the book.

The guest interplay is of course impossible to reflect in an annual but that needn't have undermined the QI Annual necessarily if the trivia was interesting and humorously communicated, but it's not. It's decidely dull and mundane. Jeremy Clarkson contributes a heavily padded out section, the basic gist of which is that people around the world eat stuff like dogs, guinea pigs and insects - hardly news to anyone. Clive Anderson delivers an essay on the English Elm...that's it...no angle, no punchline...just a dry couple of pages about an inappropriately named species of tree.

There are brief moments of edutainment (the spoof, Boys Own style cartoon adventures of Stephen Fry for example) but essentially this is a very shallow, sketchy sub-Schott book of unfunny, widely known trivia. If the book was not associated with the TV series, and the same content was compiled and attributed to some nobody researcher, then I doubt it would get published.

A very nice Annual for the series, 08 Jan 2008
A very nice read with plenty of toilet humour and interesting facts to impress your friends. To be honest some of he features of members from the show seem to lack any actual input from them at all as they cover random subjects like the Elm tree and What animals you wouldnt normally eat but still a very nice giggle at the end of the day and any fan of the show should own it

Really funny, 18 Dec 2007
I bought this for someone else for Xmas but I've managed to read just about all of it myself. Its really very funny and would appeal to almost anyone. It's an ideal gift, but one you might think about keeping for yourself.

Disappointing. A very dumbed down edition for children, 31 Oct 2008
I have had several editions of the Guinness World Records over the years and they have generally had a huge amount of content. This edition is much more like children's enclopedia than a serious books of records. There is much less material than normal and what little there is seemed to have been plucked almost at random and is poorly organised.

It may still appeal to children because of the numerous pictues. A few of these are 3D as advertised on the cover, and 3D glasses are included in the book so they can be veiwed.

Sport fans may appreciate the tables of sports records which is the only area where any of the formerly comprehensive coverage remains.

Readers who want a comprehenesive book of records would be much better off with a secondhand copy of an older edition.



The Best yet, 19 Oct 2008
I have collected plenty of copies of GWR but this excels all. The 3-D glasses bring the book to life.

The best gets better every year, 02 Oct 2008
I still buy and read the Guinness Record book every year, because it's become like an old friend that I like to catch up with, but I have to disagree with Birch East. I like the way it has changed and brings out a fresh look each year. The changes, like holograms, 3D whatever, make it fresh every year. My nephews also are big fans of the 3D gimmick.

I do agree with the recommendation for Getting Into Guinness: One Man's Longest, Fastest, Highest Journey Inside the World's Most Famous Record Book, the new book by Larry Olmsted about the history and culture of the Guinness World Records book. After reading his review I snapped up a copy and it is great--very entertaining and a fun read! I have read the record book for years but never stopped to wonder where it came from (Guinness Stout of course!), how it got so big, and how large a role it has played in pop culture, and just how crazy some of the record holders seem to be. Getting Into Guinness is the story behind the records and a fun, well researched, adult read.

Always the best, but this year I discovered something that makes it even better, 28 Sep 2008
I first read the Guinness Book of World Records when I was kid back in the 70s, and it's comforting to see it still going strong. I'll say that I definitely preferred the old school text-heavy versions from back in the day to the flourescent lime, 3D photography, picture-fest of today. It's a new world we live in now, so I guess it's hard to fault the Big G for keeping up with the times.

As much as I've long loved the Guinness book itself, I was always a little disappointed that there wasn't a good resource written ABOUT Guinness -- its history, evolution, and especially about how it became the phenomenon that inspires people to carry out such dedicated acts of nuttiness. A few weeks ago in New York, I saw a book profiled in the newspaper titled GETTING INTO GUINNESS by Larry Olmsted. Olmsted is a journalist as well as a two-time GBWR record-holder, and I gave it a try. Well, it's the perfect companion piece to the Guinness book; it puts everything into context and lets you feel like a real insider. 300 pages of fascinating real life stories about the quest for Guinness recordhood, and Amazon has it for under nine pounds. I'll be giving them together as a gift to my nephew. Buy them as a tandem (which is what I should have done) and you'd even get free shipping with Prime! Getting into Guinness: One Man's Longest, Fastest, Highest Journey Inside the World's Most Famous Record Book

No wonder this is the world's best selling book!, 23 Sep 2008
After having received Guinness World Records 2009, as a gift, I've realised just how good it is. I was in Tesco a few days ago, and flicked through it then. I thought it was good. But now I own it, it's enabled me to see the extent of just how good it is.

Saying that it's the best edition of Guinness World Records to date, and it is (no worries there), isn't really that much of an achievement. Saying, however, it's the best book I've ever read...the best book ever made...is.
And this is. It's crammed full of amazing achievements, epic engineering, fantastic feats, and much more amazing stuff to feast your eyes on.

Leaving `Ripley's: Believe It Or Not' for dead, GWR really have excelled themselves this time. It really is astonishing.
This year's edition also includes huge, awe-inspiring fold out 3D features, which are apparently obvious when you wear the 3D-glasses that are provided.
It's awesome!

- Revealed: the world's strongest man
- The record-breaking world of Harry Potter
- Inside the Hollywood Hall of Fame
- The top ten videogames of the year
- Face to face with dinosaurs in exciting 3D!
- Plus your favourite records country by country

All this can be found in the spectacular book that is Guinness World Records 2009.

I'd suggest going over to that bookshop, right this second, and buying a copy.
Guaranteed - you won't be disappointed.


A Stictly Girls Christmas Wish, 21 Oct 2008
Bright, Glossy with gossipy text and great photography. Flavia demonstrates many of the dances so you can have a go yourself. There is a quiz and judging page for you to mark. This is the perfect Christmas gift for my 9 year old grandaughter....... and I can see the whole family pressed into taking part on Christmas day!

A satirical swipe from the masters of m (That's enough. -Ed), 04 Jan 2001
As the sun sets on the old millennium (or is it just the first year of the new millennium? I'm too old to remember) the Private Eye team, headed by editor Ian Hislop, show once and for all that they are far superior to Mohammed Al-Fugger's millions of unsold copies of the humorous magazine 'Punch'. That glossy rag is only one of the Eye's favourite targets, along with countless others that are guaranteed to make your in-jokes unintelligible to dinner-party guests. Buy two and give one to your partner - so there's someone else who'll understand your references. Private Eye mocks so many areas of society and political views that one has to wonder whether contributors have any beliefs at all. Lookalikes, E.J. Thribb poems, I-Spy and newspaper cuttings all appear regularly, as do columnists Glenda Slagg, Polly Filler and the ubiquitous Phil Space, who sets about the daunting task of churning out thousands of words on any current news item (from 'Man On TV Splits Up With Blonde Wife' to 'Woman Who Used To Be On TV But Isn't Any More Isn't As Fat Now As She Was Before') to fill up the pages of such papers as the Sexpress, the Grauniad, the Indescribablyboring and the Spectacularlystupid. The Eye takes no prisoners whilst satirising, so after coverage of a major tragedy you can expect to see four or five letters from disgusted, sensitive souls from Tunbridge Wells saying how they're sympathetically cancelling their subscriptions. But Private Eye also has a serious side. It regularly exposes major cant and corruption, and gives serious criticism of anything worth commenting upon; sadly, only the articles and cartoons find their way into the annual. This is still a good enough reason for buying the book: at best, Private Eye is a hilarious work of genius; at worst, only very, very funny. (Will this do? -O.L.)

A yearly treat - 2009 keeps up the standard, 09 Nov 2008
With a cut-off date of mid-September, the 2009 edition (which is really September 2007 to September 2008) misses the financial market collapse and the election of Barack Obama, for which we will have to wait for the 2010 edition.

Nevertheless, as in previous years the 2009 edition is well worth having for its entertaining mix of current events and trivia. Detail on the growth of fuel poverty and death tolls in Iraq are balanced with reminders of soap-star gossip and lists of useless statistics. Apparently, 45% of eleven year olds say they would rather read a book than watch tv, up from 38% on 2004 - good news for Amazon!

There is something here for everyone


Informative and entertaining, 04 Nov 2006
Ben Schott's trivia collections lend themselves to the format of an annual almanac and the good news is that this tome is up to the same standard as his previous books, with lots of nuggets of information you didn't know you didn't know but which are strangely fascinating.

I love the mix of modern up-to-date information with the Victorian-style presentation and quaint illustrations. There is also a review of major news highlights of the year.

Overall this is an ideal Christmas present, the sort of thing you can dip into again and again. It beats socks anyway.



The Modern Year With an Archiac Twist, 13 May 2006
For quite some time, I had been an annual buyer of such almanacs such as "The World Almanac", "Harris' Farmer's Almanac", and the "Farmer's Almanac" - Until I came across Schott's Almanac. The book is a wonderful compilation of the year - providing more information than the three aforementioned almanacs together. Separated into 13 sections (Chronicle, The World, Society & Health, Media & Celebrity, Music & Cinema, Books & Arts, Sci, Tech, Net, Travel & Leisure, Money, Parliament & Politics, Establishment & Faith, Sport, Ephemeridies), Scott's Alamanac presents the modern year with an archiac twist. A MUST have.

Finally - a seriously entertaining Almanac, 27 Feb 2006
SCHOTT'S ALMANAC answers a need that, while not exactly pressing, had existed for many years: namely, the need for a serious, yet entertaining almanac. For too long, yearbooks have either been dull (Whitacker's) or frivolous (Guinness) - SCHOTT's is neither. Rather it tells you everything you need to know about the year, as well as the more unusual and entertaining aspects. I have often thought, when reading old newspapers, that the adverts are just as interesting as the articles. SCHOTT's ALMANAC manages to convey the "feeling" of the year (from its curious words to its curious characters) while also presenting the key "news" facts. And, like all Ben Schott books, SCHOTT's ALMANAC is very beautiful. Lovely type, wonderful graphics, and superb little pen-portraits. It is a joy to read, and a joy to flick through. Certainly one to collect.

A trivia goldmine, 20 Feb 2006
Ben Schott has excelled once again with this fantastic miscellany of useful and - dare I say it - useless trivia. The presentation is as is usual from him really easy to read and is in the style of all his other books.

This book will keep you enthralled for hours although you may not remember the vast majority of it, it is a book one can read from cover to cover or just dip into now and again.

Buy it and be amazed.

Excellent guide - informative and comprehensive, 14 Oct 2008
"The Writers' and Artist's Yearbook" (W&AY), published by A&C Black, has a long-standing reputation as a 'must-have' for any writer looking to get into publication. While a number of similar books now exist - including "The Writer's Handbook" (TWH), published by Macmillan, and "Writer's Market" (WM), published by David & Charles Ltd - W&AY remains the original font of knowledge, and for me, the premier choice.

All of these books contain roughly the same extensive listings of publishers, agents, print media, producers etc, and in truth there is little to choose between them. Indeed the competition is gradually catching up, and it is notable that TWH has undergone a major facelift for this year. Of course a lot will come down to personal preference regarding the layout of the different books, and so if you can get the chance to compare them before you buy, all the better.

What makes the W&AY stand out is the wealth of advice it contains (nearly 200 pages' worth) from professional writers, publishers, agents and producers. In separate articles, famous authors such as Joanna Trollope, Terry Pratchett, Bernard Cornwell and J.K. Rowling address various aspects of the writing process and discuss a wide variety of genres. Many other highly informative pieces cover diverse issues such as self-publishing, marketing your book, writing for TV, radio and theatre, the electronic world of websites and e-publishing, and financial aspects such as tax. This makes the W&AY more than simply a listings book - it is, in effect, an introduction to the entire world of writing. Much overlooked is of course the fact that this is a yearbook for artists too. Correspondingly there are sections for the budding illustrator and photographer in the W&AY which are not to be found in the other guides.

There is much that is new for 2009, too. Although a couple of articles have been dropped, 7 new ones have been added, as well as a fresh foreword by Kate Mosse (author of 'Labyrinth' and 'Sepulchre', among other works). These new articles cover a range of topics, including: mind, body and spirit writing; e-books; and books published from blogs. There are also new pieces from Neil Gaiman, celebrated poet Benjamin Zephaniah, and Radio 4's The Archers scriptwriter Mary Cutler. Is it worth upgrading to the 2009 edition, then? For the articles alone - fascinating though they are - probably not. On the other hand, the advantage of having fully up-to-date listings counts for a great deal, especially if you are already looking for an agent or publisher. And at the price it is currently being offered by Amazon, it is surely a worthwhile investment.

All in all, this is an excellent and comprehensive guide. Definitely recommended for the aspiring writer or artist.

QI - Quite Interesting and quite informative, really!, 14 Oct 2008
As an Australian fan of QI, but still catching up on the publications, I'm a recent reader of a few QI books. The QI Annual brought back meories of the annuals of my childhood, but without the daft makeup tips and silly advice on boys! The QI Annual doesn't aim to be a deadly serious tome full of staid facts and figures, the QI team have done a fabulous job in making the books informative yet fun. I've read the Annual several times, yet I always manage to find something interesting I didn't see earlier. Great for trivia buffs and myth exploders, or anyone who has a fascination for interesting tidbits. A great companion to the show, and a must for all QI Fans.
I already have the QI Annual 2009 on pre-order!

Amazing, 22 Jan 2008
If you like the series, then you will love the book. It is split in very small pieces of information, which makes it ideal for commuting. I recommend it!

Barely interesting and doesn't transfer, 13 Jan 2008
I love the TV show QI. I'm a fan of most of the guests, have seen several in live gigs or else read a number of their various books, I've got the first series box set, the first DVD game and the Book of General Ignorance. Like I say, I'm a fan.

I'm also a fan of the TV comedy spin-off book - the Goodies books, the Young Ones, Morcambe and Wise, the New Statesman for example - were all grab bags of daft snippets, spoof documents, and other original material. This is genre of book which seemed to have gone out of favour for a while but has come back well lately with Al Murray's Pub Landlord's Book of British Common Sense and Borat's Touristic Guidings.

The QI Annual is along similar lines. It is stylishly presented - having a nice Beano annual look - and the contents are a more or less original miscellany of sideways-looking snippets, interesting facts and articles.

There are, to my mind, two vital ingredients to the concept and the appeal of QI: one is the spontaneous interplay between the guests and the other is the overturning of received wisdom. The currency of the show - its interesting facts - are usually all the more interesting because they are so little-known and bizarre or because they refute commonly held 'knowledge'. Both of these key ingredients are totally absent from the book.

The guest interplay is of course impossible to reflect in an annual but that needn't have undermined the QI Annual necessarily if the trivia was interesting and humorously communicated, but it's not. It's decidely dull and mundane. Jeremy Clarkson contributes a heavily padded out section, the basic gist of which is that people around the world eat stuff like dogs, guinea pigs and insects - hardly news to anyone. Clive Anderson delivers an essay on the English Elm...that's it...no angle, no punchline...just a dry couple of pages about an inappropriately named species of tree.

There are