Once you have received the guidelines you can attempt the record and collect all the evidence as indicated in the guidelines and in the Records Breakers Pack. You can send the evidence to our office in London, where we will be able to verify it within 6 weeks and send you a certificate to commemorate the achievement, if the verification is satisfactory.

If you send to us evidence of a record you have not applied for, we will not be able to process it.

A record adjudicator is an official Guinness World Records Judge who will attend your event and verify your record immediately if successful. It is possible to establish a record without having an adjudicator present at the event - However you may find that inviting a representative from Guinness World Records will hugely increase the profile of your event and create more media interest because your record will be immediately announced and the representative will present you with a Guinness World Record Certificate.

Guinness World Records adjudicators often attend these types of events, to ensure the record is carried out according to the guidelines provided. They are well trained in media interviews, and will be available prior to, during and post the event to speak to radio, TV and newspaper journalists about your record. At the event, should it be successful, the representative will immediately present a framed Guinness World Records certificate recognizing your achievement. The certificate presentation will be an important element of your event and will attract a lot of attention from the media.

This service can only be offered to a selected number of claimants and incurs in an attendance fee plus costs of travel, all transfers to and from the event and accommodation if necessary. If you want to request the presence of an adjudicator, please give is a call on +44 207 891 4500.

Each year we receive around 60,000 record-related enquiries from people who want to set or break records. Due to the number of queries we receive, it usually takes us between 4 and 6 weeks to reply, although sometimes it may take longer given the sheer volume of claims and queries we receive. However, if you need an answer quicker than this, we are able to offer our premium "Fast Track" service.

It currently takes between 4 and 6 weeks for Records Management Team to reply to a record application. However, if you need quicker answer, we are able to offer a premium "Fast Track" service, which ensures that your application is reviewed within three working days.

You can Fast Track the processing of your claim at any time. If you Fast Track the initial application, the cost of the service is ￡450. This service includes

• review of the proposal within 3 days and response from Guinness World Records
• priority answers to any subsequent enquiry you post about the Fast Track cliam using the Members Area of the website
• priority examination of the evidence you send as proof of your record breaking

If your record suggestion is not suitable for a Guinness World Record, we'll also get back to you with an explanation of why it is not of interest. Please note that if your proposal is not acceptable as a new Guinness World Record, or the record category you applied for is no longer monitored we will not be able to refund the fees paid for the quick processing of your application.

If you decide to Fast Track your record application at a later stage, after you have sent the evidence of your attempt to us, we can review your record evidence with priority within 3 working days. In this case the fee is ￡300.

To upgrade to Fast Track or Fast Review, go on www.guinnessworldrecords.com and login. Once you have accessed the Members Area, you can choose the Fast Track option.

Please note that payment for the Fast Track services guarantees that your record application is given priority treatment to be researched and processed. It does in no way guarantee acceptance of your record proposal or successful verification of the evidence sent to us.

The book is available worldwide in most major book retailers and online retailers from September every year.

This record attempt has ceased. Many years ago, a boy fighting cancer started a campaign for people to send him get-well messages in order to set a record for the most items received. Not only was that boy successful in getting a mention in the 1991 edition of the Guinness World Records book, he also made a full recovery.

However, since then, chain mails have started up with variations on the original story, some requesting business cards or compliments slips rather than get-well messages. Please don't respond to any such requests, and if anyone asks you about it please tell them it's a hoax!

Guinness World Records does not accept any records relating to chain letters, sent by post or e-mail. If you receive a letter or an e-mail, which may promise to publish the names of all those who send it on, please destroy it, it is a hoax. No matter if it says that Guinness World Records and the postal service are involved, they are not.

We are sorry if you have been taken in by a chain letter claiming to be legitimate and are now disappointed to learn that it is not.

A number of high-profile records are broken on a regular basis. For example, the DJ marathon with more attempts being made every month. Another record that is broken regularly is the oldest person in the world, where details of the holder's birth has been officially corroborated.

The individual who holds the most Guinness World Records is Mr Ashrita Furman. He holds the records for, among others, long-distance pogo-stick jumping, most glasses balanced on the chin, most hop-scotch games in 24 hours and fastest time to pogo-stick up the CN Tower.

Guinness World Records Ltd is based in London, England. Any postal correspondence should be addressed to: Guinness World Records Ltd, 3rd Floor, 184-192 Drummond Street, London, NW1 3HP.

Generally, nothing! The only time Guinness World Records might expect payment is if you need to use our Fast Track service - and if members of our staff have, by arrangement, attended your event.

Also, while all successful record breakers receive, free of charge, a certificate recognizing their achievement, we do make a charge for any additional copies if they're requested.

We never pay record breakers for their achievements - we also do not cover expenses, offer sponsorship or provide equipment. Guinness World Record is an impartial arbiter of record breaking achievements around the world and cannot be involved in the organization of a record attempt. Also, our record holders are fuelled not by financial gain but the satisfaction of setting, achieving and surpassing their goals - and receiving the official Guinness World Records certificate.

We always welcome any comments regarding our publications, and these can be passed on to us through the Contact Us section of the website. Your observations will be sent to our editorial department for further investigation. We always endeavour to achieve the highest possible standards of accuracy.

Send your suggestions to: Guinness World Records Ltd, Errors in the Book, 3rd Floor, 184-192 Drummond Street, London, NW1 3HP

Each year we receive approximately 65,000 enquiries from around the world from people who want to set or break records. Many are successful and their details are added to our database of records.

However, we can only publish around 4,000 records in the book each year, as it would be impossible to publish entries on all records and record-holders. An editorial decision therefore has to be made as to which records will be included.

If your record hasn't been selected for publication on this occasion, there's a chance that it may be included in future editions, dependent upon the requirements of the book-buying public and the managing editor's discretion. It may also appear in this website.

There are more than 30,000 record categories in our database, and only a proportion of these records can feature on the website. We currently house about 3,000 records online, but we'll be adding more every week, so make sure to check the site regularly.

When you first connect to guinnessworldrecords.com, our web server places a very basic text file on your computer.

This file is called a cookie, and it contains a unique Identifier so that we can tell if you have visited our site before.

The next time you visit the site, your browser sends us the text file, telling us who you are - and this saves you from having to register each time you log on.

If your web browser is not set up to accept cookies, you can still access the site, but you will have to register each time you visit.

Consult your browser's documentation to enable cookies.

This site is designed to be read with a medium text size. However, if you have your browser set to another text size, you may find it difficult to read.

Internet Explorer users should go to the View menu and choose Text Size > Medium (or a smaller or larger size depending on your version)

Netscape Navigator users should go to the View menu and choose Text Zoom > 100% (or a smaller or larger size depending on your version)

Guinness World Records receives around 65,000 record claims each year, and it's obviously impossible for us to accept everything that's sent to us.

Some record suggestions are, frankly, far too dangerous for us to accept, especially if there is risk to spectators and members of the public as well as the individual participant(s).

Others are simply not enough of a challenge, too specific to an individual, or unbreakable.

Also, owing to space constraints and limited resources, it is no longer possible for us to recognize or publish national or parochial (country specific) records. This is why we are now called Guinness World Records, not the Guinness Book of Records.

While we certainly do not underestimate these accomplishments, we do require all of our records to be provable, quantifiable and breakable.

Guinness World Records don't sell earlier editions of the book, but you can buy them from Premier Books: Not Just Books, 27-29 High Street, Billinghay, Lincolnshire, LN4 4AU. Telephone: 01526 860294

Guinness World Records requires all large food items to be fully edible in order to qualify for a Guinness World Records title. As we have observed, the best way to test the quality and edibility of the item is for it to be eaten completely! All large food items must be consumed or distributed for consumption after they have been presented and measured in order to secure a record title. Guinness World Records is also aware of concerns about food going to waste when a food related record attempt is undertaken. In most cases these items are already distributed to the public following the record attempt, however Guinness World Records has decided to make this an explicit rule in all relevant record guidelines.