In 1954, Sir Hugh Beaver, Managing Director of the Arthur Guinness & Sons brewery, decided to print a record book that could be used to settle often senseless, alcohol-fueled barroom debates. He commissioned the Guinness Book of Records, stamped the Guinness logo on the cover, and distributed it to pubs throughout the British Isles. Much to his surprise, it soon became so popular that bookstores demanded several reprints and it hit the bestseller list within weeks of release.
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