   guinness world records, known from its inception in 1955 through 1998 as the guinness book of records and in previous u.s. editions as the guinness book of world records, is a reference book published annually, listing world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world. the book itself holds a world record, as the best-selling copyrighted book of all time. it is one of the most frequently stolen books from public libraries in the united states. as of 2015 edition it is now in its 60th year of publication. the international franchise has extended beyond print to include television series and museums. the popularity of the franchise has resulted in guinness world records becoming the primary international authority on the cataloguing and verification of a huge number of world records â the organization employs official record adjudicators authorised to verify the authenticity of the setting and breaking of records. ==history== thumb|right|guinness world records certificate on 10 november 1951, sir hugh beaver, then the managing director of the guinness breweries, went on a shooting party in the north slob, by the river slaney in county wexford, ireland. after missing a shot at a golden plover, he became involved in an 
Publications_established_in_1955 Reference_works Trivia_books World_record_databases