It's one of the world's best sellers and the brave, the foolish and the crazy from the Midlands again feature prominently in the latest edition.
The 2006 edition of Guinness World Records was published yesterday and, as usual, is a goldmine recording the bizarre and wacky antics of those determined to get their own little slice of immortality.
The Midland entries range from a tennis marathon to a window cleaning sprint and a Hollywood superstar.
The book is published in more than 100 countries and 23 languages. Its editor Craig Glenday - the former world record holder for the longest stretched Curly Wurly chocolate bar at 90cm - said there has never been a shortage of people wanting to make or break a world record.
"People tell us it is a dream they have had since childhood. On a shallow level it is just about seeing their name in the book," he said.
"But I think it runs a bit deeper than that. It is a fundamental thing about the human condition, people want to push themselves further, the need to strive, struggle - it is why people cross seas and climb mountains.
"People who are not Olympic athletes can still get recognition by setting their own goals."
He said the UK-based Guinness World Records office receives about 1,000 claims a week, with about 95 per cent rejected because they are not able to fulfil basic criteria.
Tennis coach Butch Heffernan, was able to do just that when he broke the record for the longest tennis coaching marathon, with a 52-hour lesson in Brierley Hill, Dudley.
Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre was the location for the fastest male window cleaner, with Terry Burrows cleaning three standard 45in by 45in framed office windows, in 9.24 seconds on March 2, 2005.
Other Guinness World Records held in the Midlands include film star Will Smith's greatest number of public appearances in different cities.
On February 22, 2005, Will took 12 hours to walk the red carpet, sign autographs and introduce his film Hitch at cinemas in Birmingham, Manchester and London.
In 2000, an event organised by Vital/Max Power Live 2000 saw 18 women cramming into a Mini Cooper outside Birmingham's National Indoor Arena to claim the 'most people crammed into a Mini' record while Anderton Park School in Moseley saw the world's fastest henna artist complete 214 henna armband tattoos on March 24.
The Midland Youth Orchestra holds the record for the longest concert performed by an orchestra, for its 12-hour performance at Aston University on January 29, 2000.
And former paratrooper and Guinness book regular Paddy Doyle from Solihull has held the most one-arm push-ups since 1996.
