Dave Barry Is from Mars and Venus and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more

Buy Used
Used - Very Good See details
$3.24 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
Kindle Edition
 
   
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Dave Barry is from Mars and Venus
 
 
Start reading Dave Barry Is from Mars and Venus on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Dave Barry is from Mars and Venus [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Dave Barry (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.


Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition --  
Hardcover, Illustrated --  
Paperback $11.26  
Mass Market Paperback --  
Audio, CD, Audiobook, CD $21.95  
Audible Audio Edition, Abridged $14.95 or Free with Audible 30-day free trial

Book Description

September 30, 1997
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.


Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Booger." In case you're wondering, that's the title of a winning entry from a parody contest that Dave Barry's flagship paper, the Miami Herald, ran in 1989. There's more to Dave Barry than "boogers," of course--he's the McDonald's of American humor. One, nearly everybody likes him. Two, he's everywhere. Three--and this is the key--when you open one of his books, you know exactly what you're going to get: "Eugene is located in southwest Oregon, approximately 278 billion miles from anything." "If you're looking for a hearty entree that (1) is related to spiders; (2) is descended from a worm; and (3) has mutant baby-poopers walking around on its lips; then you definitely want a lobster." This collection of columns--sure to serve billions and billions--is called Dave Barry Is from Mars and Venus. (Strangely, it isn't a parody of John Gray's series, even though there's nobody better equipped to do one.) Inside you'll find the same genial, absurd fantasies, riffs on clippings that Barry insists he is not making up, and bizarre personal adventures that are his trademark. Do you like hamburgers? Of course--and you'll like this book, too.

From Library Journal

For readers of previous collections of Barry's syndicated columns, there are no surprises here. Enthusiasts will expect?and will find?that the author writes with ease and whimsicality on almost every subject that chances to catch his fancy. And there seems to be nothing too insignificant or casual to attract his attention. If readers dip into the book at random, they may find first his ideas?tongue-in-cheek of course?for eliminating the drug problem in the country. Next they may turn to Barry's reflections on the importance of having visible stomach muscles. Then they may find themselves reading about his views on the National Pretend Speed Limit. Barry is never uproariously funny, but he does set underway delicious trains of chuckles. At a time when so many people are in a chronic state of irritation, suspicion, and mental jaundice, the effect of the book is soothing. It cleans the palate, if not like champagne, then at least like a cool sorbet. Recommended.
-?A.J. Anderson, GSLIS, Simmons Coll., Boston
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 269 pages
  • Publisher: Crown; 1 edition (September 30, 1997)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0609600664
  • ISBN-13: 978-0609600665
  • Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,077,495 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The New York Times has pronounced Dave Barry "the funniest man in America." But of course that could have been on a slow news day when there wasn't much else fit to print. True, his bestselling collections of columns are legendary, but it is his wholly original books that reveal him as an American icon. Dave Barry Slept Here was his version of American history. Dave Barry Does Japan was a contribution to international peace and understanding from which Japan has not yet fully recovered. Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys is among the best-read volumes in rehab centers and prisons. Raised in a suburb of New York, educated in a suburb of Philadelphia, he lives now in a suburb of Miami. He is not, as he often puts it so poetically, making this up.

 

Customer Reviews

20 Reviews
5 star:
 (14)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (20 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars ...and he is also the best one from the Earth!, November 18, 1997
By A Customer
This review is from: Dave Barry is from Mars and Venus (Hardcover)
For starters, this could easily be the best Dave Barry's collection of columns ever.
His account on the Very First Thanksgiving, his solution to the Drug Problem (thru the use of modern packaging) and his depiction of the fears that bees inflict upon him, are just some of the bits that really make this one of his best books.

Dave Barry is the master of humor synthesis. And in "...from Venus and Mars" he demonstrates it again and again. He also goes back to the typical use of hyperboles (the closing of an article re-taking a priorly referred subject) and also is great again on his "mind" and "I.Q." level comparisons.

His keen (real keen) sense of observation it's poured easily and with grace on these pages. You cannot avoid laughter. But it's a laughter with a sense of "familiarity": I'm laughing at this, yes. But, oh, my gosh, this is also SO TRUE!.

If you don't know the works of Dave Barry you are just missing the works of (as the New York Times once put it) "the funniest man alive". Read this book. It's a great start for a great addiction. And, in the end, you'll be experiencing the same consequence than me: mainly, the need to have, read. and re-read ALL of his books.

By the way, a piece of advice on the picture that appears on page 143. The person shown on the left IS Stephen King, and it's not a fake picture. The caption in this picture is funny, as the rest of the captions in the other black and white Dave's pictures that appear randomly thru the book. It's great to see a younger Dave Barry (and to see even a photograph of his Catholic Confirmation certificate) to feel closer to the life and circumstances of one of the finest humor brains ever: the brain of the author of "...from venus AND Mars", Mr. Dave Barry.

Believe me. It's impossible (absolutely IMPOSSIBLE) not to laugh reading him! Get this book and ...enjoy!

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Dave Barry drops off, May 24, 1999
By A Customer
Although I love Dave Barry, and his writing always cracks me up, this is by far the least funny of his books. A far better book to start with is Dave Barry's Greatest Hits, or Dave Barry's only travel guide you'll ever need.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Vintage Dave Barry, February 14, 1999
By 
Dave Barry Is From Mars And Venus is probably his best work yet (even displacing the hilarious Dave Barry Does Japan). All the essays touch some hidden button that makes the audience gasp while holding its sides with laughter, "Yes! I know exactly what he's talking about!" Also notable are the small handful of essays where he sheds the slapstick facade for a few seconds for a rare look at the bitterness and anger he feels towards certain institutions of America. Definitely a must-buy for any Dave Barry fan.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews











Only search this product's reviews



Inside This Book (learn more)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
First Sentence:
ATLANTA-There's an old saying in journalism: "Be careful of what you make fun of, because you could find yourself upside down attempting a Vertical Split while your lungs rapidly fill with water." Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
many alert readers, brain sludge, potato gun, air ball, ring around the collar
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Philip Morris, United States, First Pilgrim, Robin Hood, Second Pilgrim, Associated Press, Billy Joel, New Zealand, Fourth Pilgrim, Lois Grant, Monroe Doctrine, National Library of Poetry, Princess Diana, Professor Heaton, Gianni Schicchi, Miami Herald, Reader's Digest, Supreme Court, Tobacco Institute, Wheel of Fortune, World Series, Brad Pitt, Bureau of Medical Alarm, Daniel Boone
New!
Concordance | Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:


What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
 
(72)
(13)
(5)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums



So You'd Like to...


Create a guide


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject