A fascinating mix of participatory journalism and history, "Getting Into Guinness" is the never-before-told story of the bestselling copyrighted book of all time. Veteran reporter Larry Olmsted began a personal quest to break an existing world record, then to set another one, and soon he was fully immersed in the crazy and highly competitive world of record breaking. This is his behind-the-scenes report of the characters who created the famous record book and continue to make it wackier and wackier with every passing year.

The enthralling 50-year history of the Guinness World Records is a story of phenomenal success, equally compelling failures, and extreme oddities. People all over the world strive to get into the book, often in the most unbelievable ways. Olmsted chronicles some of the funniest and most interesting Guinness record holders from a uniquely insider perspective: he himself is one of them.

It all began with a gentleman's wager over which was the fastest game bird in Europe, the golden plover or the grouse. The attempt to answer this question has sold more than 100 million books in dozens of languages and every corner of the globe. Today, there is heated competition for the record to hold the most records (currently held by Ashrita Furman, 114 records and counting), as well as classic curiosities that have lasted for decades (the tallest man in history is still Robert Wadlow, at 8' 11""). Interwoven into all of this is Olmsted's account of his own two successful record-setting attempts, the first involving traveling halfway around the world with his golf shoes--""Greatest Distance Between Two Rounds of Golf on the Same Day""--and the second causing him to nearlylose his mind while playing the world's longest poker session.

Why do people devote so much energy to get into the record book, often at great risk? Why do the most extreme fans devote their entire lives to this pursuit? Why is society so obsessed with records and record breaking? Why do Americans alone buy a million and a half copies of the famous book every year, propelling it to the top of the bestseller lists decade after decade? Why do readers of all generations remember the same record-holding icons, the fattest twins, the longest fingernails, and the tallest man? After his own journey inside the world of record breaking, these are the questions Olmsted attempts to answer.

In the tradition of the bestselling "Word Freak"--a melange of travelogue, memoir, investigative journalism, and history--"Getting Into Guinness" is a must-read for anyone who has ever read "Guinness World Records" and wondered why someone would grow their fingernails for an entire lifetime.

You've seen the headlines - Parmesan cheese made from wood pulp. Lobster rolls containing no lobster at all. Extra virgin olive oil that isn't. So many fake foods are in our supermarkets, our restaurants, and our kitchen cabinets that it's hard to know what we're eating anymore. In Real Food / Fake Food, award winning journalist Larry Olmsted convinces us why real food matters and empowers consumers to make smarter choices. Olmsted brings readers into the unregulated food industry, revealing the shocking deception that extends from high end foods like olive oil, wine, and Kobe beef to everyday staples such as coffee, honey, juice, and cheese. It's a massive bait and switch in which counterfeiting is rampant and in which the consumer ultimately pays the price. But Olmsted does more than show us what foods to avoid. A bona fide gourmand, he travels to the sources of the real stuff to help us recognise what to look for, eat, and savor: genuine Parmigiano Reggiano from Italy, fresh caught grouper from Florida, authentic port from Portugal. Real foods that are grown, raised, produced, and prepared with care by masters of their craft. Part cautionary tale, part culinary crusade, Real Food / Fake Food is addictively readable, mouthwateringly enjoyable, and utterly relevant.

The perfect book for everyone cheering from the couch during the Tokyo Olympics Larry Olmsted’s writing and research have been called “eye-opening” (People), “impressive” (Publishers Weekly, starred review), and “enlightening” (Kirkus Reviews). Now, the New York Times and Washington Post bestselling author turns his expertise to a subject that has never been fully explored, delivering a highly entertaining game changer that uses brand-new research to show us why being a sports fan is good for us individually and is a force for positive change in society. Fans is a passionate reminder of how games, teams, and the communities dedicated to them are vital to our lives. Citing fascinating new studies on sports fandom, Larry Olmsted makes the case that the more you identify with a sports team, the better your social, psychological, and physical health is; the more meaningful your relationships are; and the more connected and happier you are. Fans maintain better cognitive processing as their gray matter ages; they have better language skills; and college students who follow sports have higher GPAs, better graduation rates, and higher incomes after graduating. And there’s more: On a societal level, sports help us heal after tragedies, providing community and hope when we need it most. Fans is the perfect gift for anyone who loves sports or anyone who loves someone who loves sports. “Olmsted opens a window into a psychologically compelling world of passion and purpose.” —Harvey Araton, author of Our Last Season: A Writer, a Fan, a Friendship

The ancient, elegantly useful snowshoe has taken the outdoor sports scene by storm. With sales of snowshoes more than doubling every year this decade, snowshoeing rivals its trendy cousin snowboarding as the fastest growing winter sport in the United States.

In this indispensable guide, avid snowshoer Larry Olmsted enumerates the many reasons for snowshoeing's meteoric rise. Advances in design and construction-including quick-entry, high-performance bindings-have made snowshoes even easier and more enjoyable to use. Scores of enthusiasts are hitting groomed cross-country ski and snowmobile trails across the snowbelt, running on scaled-down versions of traditional 'shoes. Snowshoeing explains how to experience this recent evolution of the sport.

Even greater numbers of snowshoers come from the ranks of America's hikers and backpackers, who have discovered that wintertime can be the best time to hit the trail: no bugs, no mud, no crowds. And backcountry Alpine skiers and snowboarders climb to their summits on snowshoes, the most reliable, versatile mode of travel across snow.

No new use or technique is left untreated in this, the first guide to snowshoeing since snowshoeing has come of age.