* Definition of "author" is subjective: Does "author" refer to individual writers, or can it include editors, contributors, researchers, etc.?
* No central database: There's no central authority tracking the number of authors for every book ever published.
* Variety of book types: Some book genres, like academic textbooks or encyclopedias, are inherently collaborative and likely to have many contributors.
Examples of books with a large number of contributors:
* The Oxford English Dictionary: This massive dictionary is the result of decades of work by hundreds of lexicographers.
* Wikipedia: While not a single book, Wikipedia has millions of contributors worldwide, making it a prime example of collaborative writing on a massive scale.
* The New Oxford Annotated Bible: This translation and commentary features contributions from numerous scholars and theologians.
Rather than focusing on a single record, it's more interesting to explore the different ways collaboration contributes to the creation of books:
* Shared authorship: Multiple writers working together on a single story or project.
* Collective works: Anthologies or collections of individual pieces by different authors.
* Academic and technical books: These often involve multiple contributors for specific chapters or sections.
* Online encyclopedias and wikis: These rely heavily on collaborative editing and contributions from a diverse community.
Ultimately, the significance of the number of authors involved in a book depends on the context and purpose of the work itself.