Guinness World Records Facsimile EditionSEE WHERE IT ALL BEGAN!!Guinness World Records had its genesis in 1955 when Sir Hugh Beaver, the Chairman of the Guinness Brewery, decided that a definitive volume of facts was needed to help solve arguments in pubs. With the help of fact-finding twins, Norris and Ross McWhirter, he published 1,000 copies of "The Guinness Book of Records" (as it was then called), and distributed them for free to pubs across the UK. By Christmas that year, demand for the book was so great that it reprinted and went on sale to the public. It became the best-selling book of the year, and a phenomenon was born. Now, after repeated requests from our readers, we are thrilled to announce a reproduction of the very first edition of "The Guinness Book of Records", containing every page and every record as it appeared in the August 1955 edition. And how the world has changed! In 1955, the most expensive bottle of wine in the world was £8 (now it"s almost £32,000); the most expensive hotel room cost £16 8s per night (now it"s nearly £23,000). "The Guinness Book of Records" reproduction edition is a wonderful journey into a bygone world, and a fascinating barometer of social change. To celebrate this strictly-limited print run of 5,000 copies, the book also comes in an exclusive collector"s slipcase (which not even the original book had!) and every copy is individually numbered. It"s a perfect gift for a loved one (particularly those hard-to-buy-for fathers and grandfathers!), or a fabulous keepsake for your library.