Book Review: The Guinness Book of World Records 1492
Today I am reviewing The Guinness Book of Records 1492: The World Five Hundred Years Ago, a book I purchased at the Book Barn in Niantic, CT back in 2024. Almost exactly a year ago, I reviewed A Pictorial History of Costume by Wolfgang Bruhn and Max Tilke, which I purchased on the trip. The two books are similar in that they provide fun facts about world history broken into easily readable sections with plenty of pictures. Much like the modern Guinness Book of Records, Guinness Publishing produced the book back in 1992 for the anniversary of Christopher Columbus and his crew arriving in the Caribbean. Unlike the modern record book, where records do not rely on the judgement of trained GRW employees but on primary resources from the time period with varying levels of accuracy. Deborah Manley, a co-founder of the Association for the Study of Travel in Egypt and the Near East (ASTENE) and a prolific author, was editor of the book, while Dr. Geoffrey Scammell, a history professor from England, was editorial consultant.
The book is divided into eleven sections, each with a distinct theme: “The World and Beyond”, “The Human Being”, “Transport”, “Exploration and Discover”, “Industry and Commerce”, “Science and Technology”, “Buildings and Structure”, “The Arts and Entertainment”, “Sport”, “Religion and Popular Beliefs”, and “Rules and Lawmakers”. Besides this extensive list, the book includes a brief introduction situating the reader in late 15th century life, a well-organized list of further reading, and a comprehensive index. Throughout the book, facts are accompanied by full-color images, including modern photographs of the place or thing described, portraits of famous people, details from woodcuts, and replicas of lavish paintings. For those who do not care to read, the book still has plenty to look at.
The largest circular map of the time was a world map or Mappa Mundi completed by the monk Richard of Haldingham around 1275 and still kept at Hereford Cathedral in England (15). This fact reminded me of what I had learned for my “Introduction to Maps” essay back in 2024 and reignited my sporadic love of maps. On the next page, I learned that many ancient people believed rocks were alive and reproduced, meaning small rocks were rock babies (17). A more sobering fact was the deforestation of Europe during this time period, with trees cut down at a rate of sixty to eighty million tons of wood per year (29). Even with this habit destruction, post-medieval people loved plants and wrote herbals listing the many species growing in their homeland. The most mysterious herbal is a cipher manuscript attributed to Roger Bacon which is written in an unknown script or language.
Many of the facts about humanity, both understanding of the body and other cultures, were fairly horrifying. During the 15th century, wealthy people kept people with dwarfism (often known as little people today) as court performers, while commoner saw them at fairs (35). While the latter practice seemed similar to the circumstances of Charles Stratton and Lavinia Warren, better known as General and Mrs. Tom Thumb, in that they could profit from their performance, court performers seemed to be treated more like pets. More whimsical facts included men from China credited for living over two hundred years (36), Europeans coming into contact with tobacco for the first time in late 1492 (45), and wine being considered a cure for practically anything (48).
I was particularly enthralled by the transportation as a lover of boats, although the time period unfortunately predated trains by over three hundred years. Islamic empires had a postal service as early as 1250 (50), predating European systems by over two hundred years. Meanwhile, American Indians were the most talented at domesticating plants, including maize (corn), beans, squash, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and dozens of more species (68). However, Western Europe entered the protoindustrial period in part thanks to water power, where small mills built along the river ground grain into flour by the 11th century (99). This boost in food production led countries to build massive armies and conquer wide swaths of territory even before transatlantic colonialism. Some non-European leaders were admired, such as the Lady of Cofitachequi who lived in what is now the southeastern United Sates and was carried on a palanquin by her nobles (106). To protect themselves, armies built extensive castles and forts. A fort in Prague (in Czechoslovakia when the book was published and now Czechia) covered 18 acres (115).
When not fighting, people could learn at universities or the first modern museum, the Conservatoire in Rome, which opened in 1471 (121) and has since rebranded as Musei Capitolini. Those more inclined to relax could lounge in a wide range of gardens with distinct styles created by Persian, Italian, German, Chinese, French, Moorish/Ottoman, and Japanese cultures (122-123), provided one was nobility and not a peasant. Another leisure activity was perusing a brightly illustrated book created with rapidly evolving printing technology, where pictures and text were cared onto wooden blocks and pressed against the paper like giant stamps (136-137). Travel books were among the most popular, with Marco Polo entertaining the West with accounts of Eastern culture, and multiple Chinese offers describing their experiences at sea (144). For the more active sort, plenty of sports were available. Archery was a popular sport and even required by law to ensure enough people were ready for battle (150). Meanwhile, many martial arts styles were developed across Asia, the most unexpected style hailing from the Philippines and including fighting moves with a yo-yo (153). Dressage or complex horseback riding was developed in 1505 (156). Golf was listed as a Scottish invention (161), although it is common knowledge that Bullroarer Took invented the game at the Battle of Green Fields.
Religion was more important in the lives of post-medieval people than for most modern people. This blended with their lack of cultural and scientific to create strange mistakes. Christians traveling to India believed Hindu gods represented the Trinity and the Virgin Mary, while ritual bathing done by Hindus and Muslims was seen as baptism (166). Fairies were believed to steal babies, and some people put snacks outside in the evening to appease them (169). Magical powers were said to come to witches through a pact with the Devil, and Malleus Maleficarum acted as an encyclopedia on the practices as compiled by Dominican friars (171).
While some parts of the book would be written differently today, particularly with more fleshed-out sections of sub-Saharan African, Oceanian, and American cultures, The Guinness Book of Records 1492 is a great starter guide for those looking to learn more about the time period. While I read the book from cover to cover, readers can appreciate the book as a reference source and select the sections that hold their interest. I would be interested to see an update, as archeological discovers and new interpretations change how history is presented. This book is out of print and only available in hard cover but typically easy to find at an affordable price. A small number are still held in public libraries. If you are interested in the late Medieval and post-medieval time periods, this is a great resource to have.