Edited and with a new introduction by Regina Barreca There's plenty to poke fun at in these United States-and as this volume proves, comedy may be the truest democracy of all. Smart, subversive, and surprising, this anthology shows us what makes Americans laugh. Includes the works of: Ambrose Bierce • Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner • Ralph Ellison • Fannie Flagg William Goldman • O. Henry • Langston Hughes • Molly Ivins • Erica Jong Jean Kerr • Alan King • Fran Leibowitz • Merrill Markoe • H. L. Mencken • Bill Nye Edgar Allen Poe • Mae West • Edith Wharton Herman Wouk • and many others
Author
Dave Barry is a humor writer. 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 many books, virtually none of which contain useful information. Two of his books were used as the basis for the CBS TV sitcom "Dave's World," in which Harry Anderson played a much taller version of Dave. Dave plays lead guitar in a literary rock band called the Rock Bottom Remainders, whose other members include Stephen King, Amy Tan, Ridley Pearson and Mitch Albom. They are not musically skilled, but they are extremely loud. Dave has also made many TV appearances, including one on the David Letterman show where he proved that it is possible to set fire to a pair of men's underpants with a Barbie doll. In his spare time, Dave is a candidate for president of the United States. If elected, his highest priority will be to seek the death penalty for whoever is responsible for making Americans install low-flow toilets. Dave lives in Miami, Florida, with his wife, Michelle, a sportswriter. He has a son, Rob, and a daughter, Sophie, neither of whom thinks he's funny.
