Guinness Record Book Collecting

There have been many, many people involved in the business of setting World records, cataloguing records and, of course, collecting record-related books and miscellanea. This page records some of these people and their achievements, by means of interviews, news items and submissions to our web-site.

◊ Gyles Brandreth ◊ Larry Olmsted ◊ Iain McWhirter ◊ Lucky Diamond Rich ◊ Ralf Laue ◊ Anna Nicholas ◊

If you want your achievements to be recorded here, please send us an e-mail and we'll be happy to talk to you!

Interviews

Over the past few years, we have been lucky enough to interview a number of people who are involved with record-breaking or have been at some time in the past. Here are a few of the interviews that we have conducted in that time:

Gyles Brandreth, December 2007

Today we had a very pleasant conversation with Gyles Brandreth about his involvement with the Record Breakers Club, which was launched at the Trocadero in Piccadilly, London in 1985. Gyles was introduced to Norris McWhirter in the 1970s by Lord Longford (Norris and Ross McWhirter were heavily involved in the support for personal freedom in the United Kingdom, as was Lord Longford); at the same time, Gyles also met David Boehm (founder of the Sterling Publishing Group), who was instrumental in the success of Guinness World Records in the U.S.A.

David Boehm had set up the Guinness World Records Museum in New York for Guinness (20th May 1976) and was keen to expand the concept elsewhere. In the U.K., Guinness was also keen to involve younger people in the record breaking scene, so David Boehm was involved in the setting up of the Guinness World Records exhibition at the Trocadero in London, and the Record Collectors Club that was devised shortly after.

Gyles Brandreth recalls his first impressions of David Boehm's apartment in New York, "Two things stand out in my memory of my first visit: Once in the lobby, one entered the elevator and selected the floor to David's apartment. When the doors opened, you were right in the middle of his apartment - it was like being delivered via a dumb-waiter. My second memory is of the erotic Chinoiserie wallpaper in the bathroom".

Of the collectors' club, Gyles says, "I don't recall that much about it - except that we had fun!" Actually, he has a fantastic memory of the club, the office, and the club members. One of the "fun" elements of the club was that everyone employed by Guinness to manage the club was encouraged (if encouragement was needed) to break world records. This is possibly the start of the trend for wacky record breaking that continues to this day. Gyles recalls that he set the record for the longest after-dinner speech at 3hrs 40 minutes - a record that he extended to 11 hours and then to 12½ hours. In the 1980s, no "comfort breaks" were required so these were true feats of endurance. Nowadays, health and safety concerns mean that many of the endurance records are disallowed or have become relatively meaningless.

Ultimately, the club ceased to make money and was closed (as was the Guinness exhibition at the Trocadero). Nevertheless, the club served its purpose, as it introduced a new generation to the world of record breaking. Sadly, now that the likes of the McWhirters, David Boehm and Roy Castle are no longer with us, it seems unlikely that such a club will happen again.

Gyles has one final claim to fame - he stood on his head on TV more often than anyone else. As he told us, "It was the one thing that I was better at than Roy Castle!"

Larry Olmsted, January 2009

Q. Larry, thanks very much for agreeing to this interview. Apart from the sheer effort of your record attempts, did you find it easy to gather the information for your book, and did you enjoy writing it?

A. It was not especially easy, nor overly difficult to gather the information for my book, but it was a lot of fun and writing it was one of my favorite journalistic endeavors of the past decade and a half. The hardest part was arranging live interviews with people like Sir Richard Branson, who are not overly accessible, and tracking down people with personal involvement in the book's history, such as the producer and presenter from Record Breakers, Ashrita Furman and Jackie Bibby. What I did find was that the very topic opened doors and people like Richard Branson and former Good Morning America producer Ben Sherwood were much more forthcoming when they found out they could talk about such a beloved topic.

Most of the historical background on the book came from magazine and newspaper articles dating back to the 1950s, so while I spent much time in the library doing research, this was made much easier than it would have been a few years ago by the digital databases that let journalists access historical newspaper archives online. Of course, some older more obscure papers are still available only in copies or microfiche, and I used all of those. I did travel to London for a week to do research at the British Library and other resources, such as Sir Hugh Beaver's personal papers collected in the archives of the London School of Economics. I also went to New York several times for library research, and used my local college library extensively. In short, it was a multi-pronged effort of emails, phone calls, archives, and libraries. I also collected a fair number of the annual editions of GWR, and have probably about 45 years worth.

Q. The next question has to be: "Are the sales of the book meeting your expectations (if so, will you be retiring soon)?"

A. Alas, I will not be retiring soon, and no, sales did not meet my expectations. I did get a lot of print press and very favorable reviews, but that has not translated into sales.

Q. Will you be trying to break any more records in the near future?

A. During the writing of my book, I received a letter telling me that I was no longer welcome to break records. I personally have been disenchanted enough that record breaking has lost its personal appeal to me. I am moving on to my next, and unrelated, project.

Q. Some of the - shall we say - less positive comments about your book relate to the "dryness" of some parts and an obsession with Ashrita Furman. These comments appear to come from people who would find the Guinness Book itself very hard going, so do you think your book appeals more to true GBR devotees? If not, would it have been better to include stories from other record breakers?

A. When I first researched this topic, I was stunned by the breadth of areas of interest. The "dry" history of the book was one level. The people whose lives have been affected by the book, such as Ashrita, was another. The humor of the whole endeavor and the crazier records was a third. My own attempts and first person experiences were another. I did not want any one of these elements to overpower the book, and instead I wanted it to be many things to many people, so the devotee would find it equally compelling as the armchair cultural observer. There were many, many different ways to structure this book, in terms of chapter organization and order, but in the end I decided that Ashrita gave the reader entry to the entire story, and through him I could touch on the book's history, the way it evolved, the record breaking process itself, the obsession, and the humor, and use that as a springboard for the rest of the book. The reason I put all the nitty-gritty about record breaking logistics in the back in appendices was because the book is supposed to be a good read first, and a how-to second. Some people have absolutely loved the Ashrita chapter and the way I did it, and others have commented that it's too dry and too long and my book overall has too much research and history. As a good friend of mine is fond of saying, that is why they make wallpaper in so many colors. You can't please everyone. I'm very happy with it and the reviews have been overwhelmingly very positive. In fact, the only "dry" reviews you have referred to that I have seen have been from anonymous online readers. Every professional critic who has reviewed my book has been very complimentary.

Q. Some of the history of the Book appears to contradict some of our findings. For example, you seem to imply that the "hiring of editors Ross and Norris McWhirter" took place on 3rd May 1955 ("Mr McWhirter and Mr Horst lunching"). However, Norris McWhirter's own recollections (from his book "Ross" and elsewhere) gives the date of that meeting as 12th September 1954. We know that Sir Hugh Beaver's diary entry for May 1955 was for more of a "progress report", rather than the initial meeting. Do you have a reference for the May 1955 meeting that would clear up any confusion?

A. As for the history, I try to make it clear that there is debate over some of the dates, and that some of the research is contradictory and I make my own most informed conclusions. Unfortunately, neither Ross nor Norris McWhirter nor Sir Hugh were available for interview. You have to remember that at the time this all started, none of the parties thought that when they had lunch or when they began the process would later be seen as even remotely important. On the one hand, Ross had a near photographic memory which would support his recollection. On the other, Sir Hugh was a meticulous record keeper and I was moved by the absence of a previous meeting in his very detailed appointment notes. Also, Ross' recollection of how little time they had between launching Superlatives and publishing the book support the later Beaver date. But at the end of the day, the eight or so months between the dates means little to the overall fascinating story, which remains simply fascinating.

Thank you Larry.

Lucky Diamond Rich, April 2009

The title page for the 2007 edition (right) shows the World's Most Tattooed Person (Lucky Diamond Rich) breaking through the page. As well as being a record-breaker and acclaimed street performer, Lucky Diamond Rich is a keen collector of the Guinness Book of Records, and in April 2009 he kindly agreed to answer a few of our questions:

Q. How did you get into record-breaking, what records have you set, and which records do you hold currently?

A. I have been collecting Tattoos since I was 16 years old and I am now 37 years old. It was a childhood dream of mine to be in the book - I have had the record since 2004 and I am the current world record holder for The Most Tattooed Person in the World.

Q. You must have a great collection of record books (and related news items). When did you start collecting, how extensive is your collection, and are there any books (or items) that you are looking for?

A. Yes I am a true collector and, as I am in the book, the Guinness World Record Book is a great book in which to see the history of it all. I am only a few books away from a complete collection, and there are always things that appear that I am interested in adding to my collection.

Q. What is your favourite book of records, or your favourite world records?

A. The 2007 Guinness World Records Book, as I am coming out of the front page. Of course my record is my favourite (and has been since I was a kid), so: The Most Tattooed Man and The Most tattooed Lady.

Q. How has your record breaking enhanced your career, and is there more record breaking to come?

A. It has helped the majority of the planet paint a picture of who I am. Yes, there are always records that I am interested in breaking to do with tattoo or circus skills.

I wish you all the best with your website.

Thank you LDR!

Iain McWhirter, August 2009

Q. Iain, thanks for having this chat with us - the question uppermost on our readers' minds is obviously, "Do you have a full collection of the Guinness Book of Records from 1955 onwards"?

A. No, I'm afraid not. My father, Ross, died in 1975 and up until that point we had a complete set of all the UK editions, and quite a few of the foreign and paperback ones, too. Somehow our collection has dispersed and we did not get sent new copies by Guinness Books. So, sadly, our collection is rather sparse. I am now looking to fill in the gaps, as I think it would be a nice thing for my children and grandchildren to have.

Q. In your collection, are there any unusual or otherwise significant copies?

A. I do remember that we had several specially bound copies of the early 70's books. From memory, they had a dark red, green or grey, slightly padded hard cover with a diamond geometric grill pattern within a frame (both in a gold coloured leaf) on the front cover.

Q. You mentioned that you helped your Father when the early books were being produced. Did his love of facts and figures, sport, journalism and politics rub off on you?

A. I suppose it did, yes. I tend to read factual, rather than fictional, books - the contents of which I have a bit of a reputation for regurgitating! My children, thankfully, are very into sport, and my wife and I spend a lot of time watching them play. I play a bit of tennis, squash, golf - when I can - but it is so time-consuming, and recently croquet (proper rules!). We are all avid fans of watching sport and never miss a moment of the Olympics when they are on. I last went to the Montreal Olympics in 1976 and am greatly looking forward to the London Games in 2012.

Q. It must have been exciting being involved with the production of such a well-known publication. Do you remember meeting any record-breakers? Did you go along to the recording of the Record Breakers TV show?

A. Yes, I did go to the recordings of several of the Record Breaker shows. I also met some rather unusual people! The man who ate a Cessna light aircraft and snacked on supermarket trolleys was one. Then there was the Frenchman ("Henri la Mothe"), who in his eighties had the record for the highest dive into a paddling pool. He confided that his success - by which I mean his survival - was due to the fact that he did it every day. If you did something yesterday successfully, I suppose it improves your chance of doing it today. Norris always said that once you get to eighty your chances of surviving another year start to improve - at least for the non-high divers amongst us! He would have been disappointed at not having the opportunity to prove the point as he died a few months short of his 79th birthday. He was playing tennis, as he did most days when there was no snow on the ground, when he had a heart attack. I'm sure, had he been able to write his own obituary, he would have added that he was one set up when it happened! He was a stickler for the facts.

I remember going with my father to pick up an American lady from Heathrow, who was to appear on one of the television shows, and who held the unenviable record for the most failed driving tests. It was a miracle she made it across the Atlantic! Chris Greener, Britain's tallest man came to Norris's memorial service in Trafalgar Square, and it was great see the same look of awe on my children's faces as I am sure was on mine when I first met him at the age of ten.

The greatest record breaker of them all was undoubtedly Roy Castle. His infectious enthusiasm, considerable talent and complete determination was only rivalled by his charm and good humour. British television needs more like him but, sadly, he was unique.

Q. Are you still involved in the Ross McWhirter Foundation?

A. Yes. The McWhirter Foundation, as it was renamed to "include" Norris, is now in its 34th year. We hold an annual dinner in Middle Temple Hall to honour individuals for their acts of courage or good citizenship. We also hold a conference at Trinity College, Oxford for 6th Form students from all over the country and from a wide variety of schools and colleges. The latter is usually concerned with some aspect of the rule of law; environment, media, sport, democracy, etc. Our objective is to encourage those who attend to take an interest in some of the big issues that our country faces and perhaps, when they have completed their education, to participate in public life. Our ability to continue is wholly dependent on sponsorship. I, my brother James, and cousin Alasdair are all trustees of the foundation.

Thank you Iain, and good luck with your collection.

Ralf Laue, November 2009

Q. How did you get into record-breaking, what records have you set and which records do you hold currently?

A. It all started with my collection of news items on records. After collecting every piece of information about unusual world records, it was quite natural to ask which records I could break myself. The first one was for the largest fan of playing cards; I am still the record holder for this one. Another record that is still unbroken is for the fastest pancake flipping - 416 tosses in two minutes. I broke some more records like domino and nail stacking. However, the toughest one was for solving the Rubik's Cube blindfolded - I did this in the US Guinness TV Show in 5 minutes and 42 seconds. Today, the best solvers can do it in less than one minute.

By the way: seeing my name in the Guinness Book of Records has became less important for me. The last records I broke (fastest game of Operation, golf ball blowing and the longest distance tiddlywinking) were not even submitted to GWR.

Q. How did you get interested in record breaking?

A. Similar to the McWhirters, I started to collect newspaper articles about world records as a young boy in 1980. I grew up in East Germany where it was not possible to buy the Guinness Book. In fact, this was a good thing: anyone just buying the book would believe that he has the ultimate collection of records. Instead, I started to build my own archive. I am sure that today it is the second most comprehensive world record archive after Guinness World Records themselves. It has served as a source for journalists and TV people: when the German Guinness Show started on television, I provided some information which the producers were unable to get from Guinness World Records.

Q. You must have a great collection of record books (and related news items). When did you start collecting, how extensive is your collection, and are there any books (or items) that you are looking for?

A. It is important to stress that I collect information about records, I would not call myself a true collector of Guinness Books. The main part of my archive is still newspaper cuttings. When each country had a really localized version of the book, I collected various editions and translated them to find the national records that were not in the English version of the book. Now that all the international editions have the same content, it does not make sense for me to buy the book in other languages. Instead, I look for other record books to add to my collection. There are many such books; one of the best known is the "Limca Book of Records", a national record book from India.

I am also interested in the stories behind the records, so I have many books like "Stacking the Deck" (by Bryan Berg, the world's best cardstacker). I also have several original record-related items, such as a signed photograph of Robert Wadlow, and the signed frying pan that was thrown 47.6m by discus world record holder Jürgen Schult.

Last - but not least - I have a nice stamp collection on the "world records" theme.

Q. What is your favourite book of records?

A. That's very difficult to say. Books I really like are the national record books from the Czech Republic. For those who are interested in sports records (in particular strength feats), I highly recommend Dale Harder's "Strength and Speed" book. Dale is a private record statistician like me, and I really appreciate his work.

Q. How are sales of your book doing, and will there be further editions?

A. The sales of the book were okay, but not overwhelming (being marketed as a humorous book may not have helped). The book is rather meant as a challenge to everyone who is interested in creative, funny activities. In this respect, it has been very successful indeed. I regularly get impressive records submissions which are published at http://www.alternativerecords.co.uk if verified successfully. As an example, there was a festival in New Zealand with records like tallest balloon hat, longest distance by a toy balloon powered car and fastest change of four wheels of a car - all these records were challenges from our book. If we motivate people to become creative and active this way, the book has reached its goal.

And yes - I am planning to have future editions. I am currently looking for a publisher who shares my interest in unusual records.

Thank you Ralf - it's been really interesting talking to you.

Anna Nicholas

In September 2010, Anna Nicholas published Strictly Off the Record, an account of her work at the Guinness Book of Records. Anna worked with Norris McWhirter, David Hoy, Alan Russell and many others in the 1980s, and has already told us a few of her memories from that time.

"How interesting to glimpse your site - hugely nostalgic for me ... you have some fascinating items on the site".

We will be asking Anna a few more questions in the coming weeks.