American technologist and MIT professor Michael Hawley made history by creating the world’s largest published book, Bhutan: A Visual Odyssey Across the Last Himalayan Kingdom, which was certified by Guinness World Records as the largest published book of its time.
Titled Bhutan: A Visual Odyssey Across the Last Himalayan Kingdom, the colossal volume was produced after multiple field expeditions to the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, compiling breathtaking photography and cultural imagery. The book measures approximately 5 feet by 7 feet (about 2.13 m x 1.53 m) when open and weighs around 133 pounds (60.3 kg), with 118 pages of giant photographic spreads.
Each copy of the book is an engineering and printing marvel — taking more than 24 hours to print, using a paper roll longer than a football field and over a gallon of ink for production. The images, captured by Hawley and his team during four separate trips through Bhutan, offer panoramic views of the country’s landscape, culture, and traditions.
Created under the auspices of MIT’s Media Lab and published by Friendly Planet, the book was not only a technical achievement but also a philanthropic one: copies were offered to patrons supporting educational causes in Bhutan and Cambodia.
Although later superseded by other oversized books, Hawley’s Bhutan remains an iconic landmark in publishing history — reflecting both the possibilities of large-format print technology and a deep celebration of one of the world’s most remote and culturally rich countries.
Fun fact: In addition to his work on this record-setting book, Michael Hawley was a noted researcher and innovator in digital photography, media arts, and human-computer interaction at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
