BIBLIO is the largest independent book marketplace in the world, with over 100 million books.

Skip to content

The Best of Me
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Best of Me Hardback - 2020

by David Sedaris

Add to wish list

Summary

For more than twenty-five years, David Sedaris has been carving out a unique literary space, virtually creating his own genre. A Sedaris story may seem confessional, but is also highly attuned to the world outside. It opens our eyes to what is at absurd and moving about our daily existence. And it is almost impossible to read without laughing. Now, for the first time collected in one volume, the author brings us his funniest and most memorable work. In these stories, Sedaris shops for rare taxidermy, hitchhikes with a lady quadriplegic, and spits a lozenge into a fellow traveler’s lap. He drowns a mouse in a bucket, struggles to say “give it to me” in five languages, and hand-feeds a carnivorous bird. But if all you expect to find in Sedaris’s work is the deft and sharply observed comedy for which he became renowned, you may be surprised to discover that his words bring more warmth than mockery, more fellow-feeling than derision. Nowhere is this clearer than in his writing about his loved ones. In these pages, Sedaris explores falling in love and staying together, recognizing his own aging not in the mirror but in the faces of his siblings, losing one parent and coming to terms—at long last—with the other.

Reader reviews for The Best of Me

From the publisher

"Genius ... It is miraculous to read these pieces ... You must read The Best of Me." --Andrew Sean Greer, New York Times Book Review

For more than twenty-five years, David Sedaris has been carving out a unique literary space. A Sedaris story may seem confessional, but is also highly attuned to the world outside. It opens our eyes to what is at absurd and moving about our daily existence. And it is almost impossible to read without laughing.

Now, for the first time collected in one volume, the author brings us his funniest and most memorable work. In these stories, Sedaris shops for rare taxidermy, hitchhikes with a lady quadriplegic, and spits a lozenge into a fellow traveler's lap. He drowns a mouse in a bucket, struggles to say "give it to me" in five languages, and hand-feeds a carnivorous bird.

But if all you expect to find in Sedaris's work is the deft and sharply observed comedy for which he became renowned, you may be surprised to discover that his words bring more warmth than mockery. Nowhere is this clearer than in his writing about his loved ones. Here, Sedaris explores falling in love and staying together, recognizing his own aging not in the mirror but in the faces of his siblings, losing one parent and coming to terms--at long last--with the other.

Full of joy, generosity, and the incisive humor that led Time Out New York to call David Sedaris "the funniest man alive", The Best of Me spans a career spent watching and learning and laughing--quite often at himself--and invites readers deep into the world of one of the most brilliant and original writers of our time.

"If you're looking for some comic relief, look no further than David Sedaris." ―NPR

A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice

A CNN and Christian Science Monitor Best Book of the Month​

Details

  • Title The Best of Me
  • Author David Sedaris
  • Binding Hardback
  • Edition 1st Edition
  • Pages 400
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Little Brown and Company
  • Publication date 2020-11-03
  • ISBN 9780316628242 / 0316628247
  • Weight 1.4 lbs (0.64 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.5 in (23.62 x 16.26 x 3.81 cm)
  • Themes
    • Topical: Family
  • Category Humor
  • Library of Congress subjects American wit and humor, Essays
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 2020942220
  • Dewey Decimal Code 814.54

Media reviews

Citations

  • Booklist, 10/15/2020, Page 8
  • Kirkus Reviews, 12/01/2020, Page 0
  • Library Journal, 10/01/2020, Page 75
  • Publishers Weekly, 09/21/2020, Page 0
  • Shelf Awareness, 11/06/2020, Page 0

About the author

David Sedaris is the author of eleven previous books, including, most recently, The Best of Me, Calypso and Theft by Finding. He is a regular contributor to The New Yorker and BBC Radio 4. In 2019, he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He is the recipient of the Thurber Prize for American Humor, Jonathan Swift International Literature Prize for Satire and Humor, and the Terry Southern Prize for Humor.

More Copies for Sale

The Best of Me
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Best of Me

by Sedaris, David

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780316628242 / 0316628247
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$3.56
A$4.29 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Little, Brown and Company. Used - Good. . . Your purchase supports More Than Words, a nonprofit job training program for youth, empowering youth to take charge of their lives by taking charge of a business. All orders guaranteed and ship within 24 hours.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$3.56
A$4.29 Delivery to USA
The Best of Me
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Best of Me

by Sedaris, David

  • Used
  • Good
  • Hardback
Condition
Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780316628242 / 0316628247
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$8.53
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Little, Brown and Company, 2020-11-03. Hardcover. Good. 9x6x1.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$8.53
Free Delivery to USA
The Best of Me
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Best of Me

by Sedaris, David

  • Used
  • Very good
  • first
Condition
Very good
Edition
First Edition
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780316628242 / 0316628247
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$9.09
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Little, Brown and Company. First Edition. Very Good. With dust jacket. It's a well-cared-for item that has seen limited use. The item may show minor signs of wear. All the text is legible, with all pages included. It may have slight markings and/or highlighting.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$9.09
Free Delivery to USA
The Best of Me
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Best of Me

by David Sedaris

  • Used
  • Good
  • Hardback
Condition
Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780316628242 / 0316628247
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$9.50
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Little Brown & Company, 2020. Hardcover. Good. Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$9.50
Free Delivery to USA
The Best of Me
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Best of Me

by David Sedaris

  • Used
  • Good
  • Hardback
Condition
Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780316628242 / 0316628247
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$9.50
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Little Brown & Company, 2020. Hardcover. Good. Missing dust jacket; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$9.50
Free Delivery to USA
The Best of Me
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Best of Me

by David Sedaris

  • Used
  • Very good
  • Hardback
Condition
Very good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780316628242 / 0316628247
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$9.50
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Little Brown & Company, 2020. Hardcover. Very Good. Former library book; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$9.50
Free Delivery to USA
The Best of Me
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Best of Me

by Sedaris, David

  • Used
  • Very good
  • Hardback
Condition
Very good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780316628242 / 0316628247
Quantity available
3
Seller
Item price
A$9.50
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Little Brown and Company, 2020. Hardcover. Very Good. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$9.50
Free Delivery to USA
The Best of Me
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Best of Me

by David Sedaris

  • Used
  • Good
  • Hardback
Condition
Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780316628242 / 0316628247
Quantity available
10
Seller
Item price
A$9.63
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Little Brown & Company, 2020. Hardcover. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$9.63
Free Delivery to USA
The Best of Me
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Best of Me

by Sedaris, David

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780316628242 / 0316628247
Quantity available
2
Seller
Item price
A$10.85
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Little Brown & Company. Used - Very Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$10.85
Free Delivery to USA
The Best of Me
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Best of Me

by Sedaris, David

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780316628242 / 0316628247
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$10.85
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Little Brown & Company. Used - Very Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$10.85
Free Delivery to USA