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Dave Barry's Greatest Hits
by
Dave Barry
"Mr. Barry is the funniest man in America and we should encourage him. Buy this book."
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
What Pultizer Prize-winning humorist Dave Barry did for American history in DAVE BARRY SLEPT HERE and for getting older in DAVE BARRY TURNS FORTY, he does for...everything else in America! The rapacious consumer of overpriced real estate, He Man action figure...more
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
What Pultizer Prize-winning humorist Dave Barry did for American history in DAVE BARRY SLEPT HERE and for getting older in DAVE BARRY TURNS FORTY, he does for...everything else in America! The rapacious consumer of overpriced real estate, He Man action figure...more
Paperback, 287 pages
Published
May 13th 1989
by Ballantine Books
(first published 1988)
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I don’t read when I’m in the bathroom. But if I did, Dave Barry would provide most of the material. His work pretty much screams bathroom. As if the essay title, “Some Thoughts on the Toilet,” didn’t make that clear enough for his billions of readers.
Not that I like bathroom humor. I don’t. I’ve probably only read “Some Thoughts…” two or three times. I’ve read a few of the other essays in here a couple dozen times. There’s just so much to learn, such as Dave’s tips for truffle harve...more
Not that I like bathroom humor. I don’t. I’ve probably only read “Some Thoughts…” two or three times. I’ve read a few of the other essays in here a couple dozen times. There’s just so much to learn, such as Dave’s tips for truffle harve...more
This is one of those timeless humor books that holds up just as well today as it did when it was initially released 15 years ago! Dave Barry's mastery of the written word is at peak performance with this collection of columns. When they stuck the words "GREATEST HITS" on the cover, they were absolutely not lying.
Sure, some of the events and people discussed within these pages may be dated, but if you were alive for those times (or took a history class in school) then you'll...more
Sure, some of the events and people discussed within these pages may be dated, but if you were alive for those times (or took a history class in school) then you'll...more
It’s not that John Ritter doesn’t give it a good go on this unabridged audio version of Dave Barry’s Greatest Hits (audio book didn't have correct cover...). While he tries too hard with timing, Ritter still reads at an appropriately accelerated pace and doesn’t commit the cardinal sin of audio book performers - muttering so low that you can’t hear a punch line no matter how much you tax your car's subwoofer.
These chuckle-inducing essays about making beer, poor eyesight or having t...more
These chuckle-inducing essays about making beer, poor eyesight or having t...more
Often humour books are the last refuge for no-longer-popular comedians and one only has to look at the list of comedic authors to see the number of has-beens and sophomoric satirists. Case in point: a couple weeks back while browsing the humour section at a local bookstore I spotted a grinning, overtly-flabby Jay Mohr plastered on the front of a hardcover. For every “Me Talk Pretty One Day”, one of David Sedaris’s collections of wit-fuelled, self-deprecating essays, there are ten “Dirty Jokes an...more
This book is hilarious and even though it came out 21 years ago it is still so funny as history repeats itself. Didn't some of those comments about Reagan apply just as well to Bush? I thought the story about New York was the best and still current (cab drivers who don't speak English,the subway,"spare change"). I also remember some of those politicians involved in scandals, eg Gary Hart and it continues today. If you've ever traveled in Europe and esp Wales you can relate to 'Europe...more
My "desert island" book. If I could only pick one book to take, this would be it. Classic Dave Barry, released in 1988 I think. Absolutely hilarious columns about his son Robby, TV specials about sharks, and how *not* to get press coverage (hint: by issuing a press release, which journalists will immediately throw into the trash.) My copy is so old it has puppy teeth marks from our dog Ginger, who we first got in '90, I think. LOVE this book.
There are two main problems with reading this book in the bathroom.
1) It will take you a really, really long time to finish it, unless you are prone to frequent gastrointestinal difficulties.
2) You must make sure that no one is within hearing distance who might feel uncomfortable upon hearing chuckles, guffaws, even hee-haw laughter emitted from the bathroom. This could be embarrassing for both you and them and should be avoided.
Dave Barry- what a guy. Funny i...more
1) It will take you a really, really long time to finish it, unless you are prone to frequent gastrointestinal difficulties.
2) You must make sure that no one is within hearing distance who might feel uncomfortable upon hearing chuckles, guffaws, even hee-haw laughter emitted from the bathroom. This could be embarrassing for both you and them and should be avoided.
Dave Barry- what a guy. Funny i...more
This is a collection of artciles by humor columnist Dave Barry, writer for the Miami Herald. Some may be a bit dated for current readers, as they refer to events that were happening at the time, but the writing is laugh-out-loud funny. I like to re-read selected articles from time to time to give myself a lift. :)
A really funny collection of essays, Barry is one of the contemporary greats when it comes to humor writing. This is a collection of quick, funny pieces - some of his best. One of my favorites is right in the middle though, the one about his father. I think he placed it there unpurpose.
I read my first Dave Barry column back when I was probaby 13 or 14. I still remember that it contained some bit about how snakes were learning to move from toilet to toilet, which I thought was absolutely hilarious. As a middle and high schooler, I read quite a few of his books and generally enjoyed most of them a lot. Now that I'm somewhat older, I don't think Barry is quite the genius I used to, but I still find him surprising enough that I don't mind picking up one of his books once in a whil...more
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The usual Dave Barry silliness (though apparently they only have Earnest, the large main backup dog, and not yet Zippy, the small emergency backup dog) with a review of 1987 containing a fair amount of real facts. Twenty-something years on, it's interesting to look back and think that I was really too young to appreciate the sheer ludicrosity of the '80s when they happened.
Alexandra Spangler
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Mature Readers
Recommended to Alexandra by:
Dad
Dave is so funny! Though he does use some foul language and inapropriate stories/references, this book is too funny! Dave Barry has many other books I love and I would like to recommend them to people who love to laugh.
Anyone who likes Dave Barry will like this book. I like Dave Barry, so I liked this book. It had no surprises, but it delivered what I expected it to, including several LOL moments.
Hilarious as usual. What else is there to say. Even the posts that I had read before, left me in stitches. If you think you are alone in things, you are not. He is sure to let you know.
I agree with the title. This is probably the best collection of his writings. It has a bit of everything, including an unexpected essay about when his father died.
I've never laughed this much while reading a book, except for the time when I read his guide to guys. He, like the cliche goes, defines laugh out loud. LOL.
I cannot get enough of Dave Barry. This collection of short stories best belongs in the bathroom for the brief reading pleasure of all your guests.
304 pgs, comedy.
This book is a whole bunch of humorous articles Dave Barry wrote for a newspaper, all assembled into a book.
A little dated, and some of the humour is hard to comprehend, but some of the lines, I have to admit are funny. I find this book slightly flaky; in some parts I'm laughing out loud, and in some parts, I just want to flip ahead and not read it. It's not very consistent that way.
For the funny articles, I would give them a 9. For the non-funny o...more
This book is a whole bunch of humorous articles Dave Barry wrote for a newspaper, all assembled into a book.
A little dated, and some of the humour is hard to comprehend, but some of the lines, I have to admit are funny. I find this book slightly flaky; in some parts I'm laughing out loud, and in some parts, I just want to flip ahead and not read it. It's not very consistent that way.
For the funny articles, I would give them a 9. For the non-funny o...more
A very funny collection of columns on a wide variety of topics. I always like the ones where he talks about The Rock Bottom Remainders.
I can't read Dave Barry in the library any more because I make the most ridiculous sounds when I'm trying to stifle my laughter.
I love humor columns, and Barry's is one of the best. This greatest hits collection is dated, but hilarious.
I used to love reading Dave Barry's column in the newspaper, but the book form was perhaps too heavy a dose. Some of the essays (especially about his family) were quite funny, but a good bulk of the others just felt repetitive. This would probably be a good book to pick up every now & again for a little chuckle... rather than reading it like a novel, as I did. Also, future readers should be warned that this was written in the late 80's. So be prepared for lots of Reagan jokes, and references to ...more
outdated and some chapters of little interest for non-Americans
maybe i wasn't in the right mood or had too high expectations
Dave Barry can make me laugh out loud in the middle of very quiet places and he can also make me cry. He writes about embarrassing things in a way that makes me say, "Yes! That's exactly how it feels!" His story about his dog ("Yay!!") is a crack-up. And when he writes about visiting his dying father, well, I can hardly see the book for tears.
I devoured Dave Barry books when I was a preteen...I checked them all out of the Des Plaines Public Library and would go to the Mount Prospect Public Library for more. I love Barry's everyman style and funny turn of phrase. Some find his humor cheap, and it certainly is repetitive, but he pretty much introduced me to humor writing, and obviously many other readers love him; he was quite prolific at one point. I feel nostalgic about his books and I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't have developed the...more
I love it. The best comedy ever.
Funny. Always funny.
Loved the bit on taxes. Very funny!
Dave Barry has a great, humorous view of the world. His columns were always good for a laugh. This compilation will keep you snickering!
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Dave Barry is a humor columnist. For 25 years he was a syndicated columnist whose work appeared in more than 500 newspapers in the United States and abroad. In 1988 he won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. Many people are still trying to figure out how this happened.
Dave has also written a total of 30 books, although virtually none of them contain useful information. Two of his books were u...more
More about Dave Barry...
Dave has also written a total of 30 books, although virtually none of them contain useful information. Two of his books were u...more
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