To mark GWR’s 70th birthday, we’re throwing a party, starting off with a feast of retro features in the opening chapter that look back over our last seven decades. Of course, we’re also highlighting the very best of record breaking from the past 12 months…

We’re celebrating our landmark year by bestowing platinum-grade ICON status on a select group of record breakers – including Taylor Swift and LeBron James – who epitomize what it means to be a Guinness World Records title holder.

Poster-style Flashback features within each chapter explore the history of one key record category. We also speculate about the ultimate limits of record-breaking - for instance, will we ever see a sub‑3‑second Rubik’s Cube solve?

Look out for our Dear GWR… features throughout the book. We’ve delved into our archives to find some never-before-seen record applications that didn’t quite make the cut. It’s our affectionate tribute to human inventiveness - and the evergreen fascination with securing a hallowed GWR certificate!