It has often been said that “everything is bigger in Texas,” and now Guinness World Records has confirmed that the largest publication was made in the Lone Star State.
The world record for the largest book published was awarded last November to the iWRITE Literacy Organization, The Bryan Museum, and Ordinary People Change the World — a New York Times Best Selling Series by author Brad Meltzer and illustrator Christopher Eliopoulos. The publishers are based in Houston, Texas.
The book “I Am Texas,” measures 7.48 square meters or around 80.5 square feet. For comparison, a king-size mattress is about 42 square feet. “I Am Texas” is roughly equivalent in size to two king-size mattresses.
The book is a “compilation of Texas-themed stories and artwork by one-thousand students,” according to Guinness World Records.
The 400-page book contains stories and artwork from students in grades 3-12 from 72 school districts, per Culturemap.
The book stands just over seven feet tall and weighs almost 500 pounds. Despite its inconvenient size, the publishers have been touring the work around Texas.
So far, it has been displayed at The Bryan Museum in Galveston and the Texas State Capitol building in Austin.
From May 10 to July 29, it will be at the Stark Museum in Orange, Texas. From there, it will travel to the Galleria in Houston from August 9 to 23. It will be displayed in the fall at Schreiner University in Kerrville from September 4 to October 2 before moving on to the Dallas Historical Society from November 20 to December 1.
A smaller, more portable book version is available in hardcover for $100 and paperback for $45.
All of the proceeds from book purchases go “back to our publishing programs, allowing kids to become published authors and illustrators,” according to iWRITE.
Melissa Williams Murphy, iWRITE founder and executive director of The Bryan Museum, told Culturemap, “We were ready to do something BIG for our 13th book, and nothing is bigger or more exciting for kids than getting published — plus breaking a world record.”
“We must elevate [children] and allow them to have pride in themselves, their work, who they are, and where they are from because perception of self matters and will shape our country’s future,” Murphy said.
