Once just dusty tomes inexplicably filed in the reference sections of school libraries _ and pored over by kids who wanted another look at the world`s tallest man or the world`s fattest twins _ Guinness World Records seems to grow more sophisticated by the year. After all, the number of records it tracks is more than 40,000 and counting. And its 2016 edition, just released, seems bigger and better than ever before.

If not record-breaking.

"The Guinness World Records 2016 book keeps readers up to date and in the know about the best and brightest in science, sports, entertainment, animals, human achievement and more," Guinness World Records editor-in-chief Craig Glenday said in a press release.

"By providing a mix of the newest, most amazing records and a splash of the classic titles that readers know and love, the 2016 edition is a great cross-section of humanity`s greatest accomplishments."

Though the book is, in some ways, a freak show _ there is an entry for world`s largest feet and world`s largest hot-dog cart _ it`s, well, not just a freak show. It`s history.

"Guinness World Records documents and holds records for record-breaking WORLD achievements," according to its Web site. "World records are a serious business and to ensure we maintain the high standards we have strict policies governing what makes a world record."

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