The rivals
Sir: Christopher Booker's review of The Guinness Book of Records (17 February) discusses several dubious aspects of this curious publication, but not the rather im- Portant issue of its factual reliability.
For example, since 1971 it has included the statement that 'Britain's, and seemingly the world's, most indefatigable writer of letters to the editors of newspapers is Ray- mond L. Cantwell': Yet there has always been something odd about this claim, and indeed about Mr Cantwell. For seven years his record stayed the same: 'Since 1948 he has had more than 12,000 letters published In print or on the air.' But the total sudden- IY *Jumped to 27,809 in 1978, and then rose by a few hundred each year until it reached a final record of 28,549 in 1981; meanwhile a vague reference to 'charitable appeals' was added. During the same decade, from 1971 to 1981, Mr Cantwell's age apparently rose from 51 to 53.
So we are seriously asked to believe that a Man who aged only two years in ten has been getting letters published in various waYs over a period of more than 30 years at an average rate of two or three every day. The 1982 edition repeated the basic claim, but gave no figures, adding instead that 'his total claims are currently under audit' ; and this is repeated in the 1983 edition. 1 can say only that I have been a fairly indefatigable writer of letters to editors over a similar period, but I have never achieved a rate of publication of more than two or three every week. 1 can't help wondering about this claim in particular, and indeed about the book in general. What about the result of that audit? I think we should be told.
Nicolas Walter
88 Islington High Street, London NI
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