DAVE BARRY IS FROM MARS AND VENUS - Scarce Fine Copy of The First Hardcover Edition/First Printing: Signed by Dave Barry - SIGNED ON THE TITLE PAGE

Dave Barry reveals the shocking secrets of his biplanetary identity in a transparent attempt to get on some afternoon talk shows and sell a few extra copies of this latest collection of his funniest syndicated columns.

Maybe you read a really funny Dave Barry column and really, really meant to save it, but we all know how that goes: out with the rest of the recyclables. Or maybe you didn't get around to reading the newspaper one day and wondered if you missed the most hilarious Dave Barry column of all time. Well, that's why some smart marketing person invented "best of"  collections, and that's why you need Dave Barry Is from Mars and Venus.

It's got Dave's coverage of the Olympics, featuring an account of his participation with the U.S. synchronized swim team: "Picture a bunch of elegant swans swimming with a flailing sea cow".  Also on hand are Dave's unfortunate appearance on Wheel of Fortune, his (non)lunch with Hillary Rodham Clinton, what happened when he shot a Gymnast Barbie doll out of a potato gun, the last word on turkey rectums, and much, much more from a guy who knows where he's coming from.

Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and the best-selling author of Dave Barry in Cyberspace (Crown, 1996), Dave Barry's Guide to Guys, Dave Barry Turns 40 (Crown, 1990), and other books. He lives in Miami, Florida.

First, a few words about the title.

It isn't easy, coming up with book titles. A lot of the really good ones are taken. Thin Thighs in 30 Days, for example. Also The Bible.

Another restriction was that the publisher wanted a title with my name in it. Over the years, most of my book titles have had my name in them (Dave Barry Turns 40, Dave Barry Turns 41, Dave Barry Develops a Nasal Polyp, etc.) I realize this sounds egotistical, but it's not my idea. I'd be a lot happier if the book titles had a name with more appeal to the mass public, like Stephen King, or The Beatles. If it weren't for the potential legal hassles, this book would be called something like Develop Washboard Abs in One Hour with John Grisham and Madonna (As Seen on Oprah).

Anyway, the first title actually considered for this book was Another Damn Dave Barry Book. I liked that one, because it was punchy, yet at the same time it said absolutely nothing. But then Crown changed its mind and decided against this title, presumably on the grounds that the word damn would offend some people, who would therefore not buy the book. Of course you could argue that this was a good reason to use the title, because people who'd be offended by the word damn would probably suffer cerebral hemorrhages if they read the book's actual contents.

Dave Barry was born in Armonk, New York, in 1947 and has been steadily growing older ever since, without ever actually reaching maturity.  He attended public schools, where he distinguished himself by not getting in nearly as much trouble as he would have if authorities had been aware of everything.  He is proud to have been elected Class Clown by the Pleasantville High School in 1965.
        
Barry went to Haverford College, where he was an English major and wrote lengthy scholarly papers filled with sentences that even he did not understand.  He graduated in 1969 and eventually got a job with a newspaper named, this is the real name, the Daily Local News, in West Chester, Pennsylvania, where he covered a series of incredibly dull municipal meetings, some of which are still going on.
        
In 1975, Barry joined Burger Associates, a consulting firm that teaches effective writing to business persons.  He spent nearly eight years trying to get various businesspersons to for-God's-sake-stop-writing-things like "Enclosed please find the enclosed enclosure," but he eventually realized that it was hopeless. So, in 1983 he took a job at the Miami Herald, and he has been there ever since, although he never answers the phone.  In 1988, he won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary, pending a recount.  His column appears in several hundred newspapers, yet another indication of the worsening drug crisis.
        
Barry is the author of numerous best-sellers, including the recent Dave Barry in Cyberspace (Crown 1996).  He lives in Miami, Florida.