Last night Canadian bookseller Russell Books in Victoria, B.C., set the Guinness World Record for book stacking by creating a 19-feet-plus tower out of, appropriately enough, copies of Guinness World Records (See the big moment at the 9:39 mark of CHEK's coverage.).
The record attempt was part of a celebration of the bookstore's relocation, during which it has transported "hundreds, if not thousands, of books from its previous, 12,000 sq. ft. store across the street to its new multi-level, 18,000 sq. ft. facility at 747 Fort Street," Victoria News wrote.
Guinness World Records adjudicator Phillip Robertson said the book stacking record is a new category and the tower had to be higher than six meters, or 19 feet 8 inches. "They've got approximately a thousand books they are building into a stack now, once it reaches that six meters, it needs to stand for 10 seconds," he explained as the construction was in progress. "If it collapses during that time, the records will not stand."
Robertson noted that one unforeseen challenge was that the Guinness books--which were donated by community members--were stored in varying conditions: "Every architect will tell you they don't like the word variance, and there's a lot of variance in books. I would encourage them to go as slow as they can."
Russell Books co-owner Andrea Minter said the bookstore's relocation is still "a work in progress. It's a huge move but we're so lucky that its just across the street. It is a bit bittersweet because it was a great location and I love it....We had such a great experience there, I have so many strong memories.... But this is amazing. We're moving into a space that's bigger, better, [has] more air, more light, better accessibility throughout the building [and] the ability to hold more books."
Victoria News reported that "by 6:30 p.m. Russell Books had made history, sealing the deal with the tallest stack of Guinness World Records books in well, the Guinness Book of World Records."