About the book: year / There are plenty of books on how to make a good comedy. I myself have already written two. But some books are still better than others. For example, this one, written by Greg Dean. The answers to many of the questions that Dean gives are experiences that have been very difficult for me. It's a shame there weren't books like this available back then. Many of us don't even think about giving professional advice to a TV repairman, a neurosurgeon, or a Chicago Bears defensive tackle. But we certainly consider ourselves qualified to give professional advice for Eddie Murphy, Jackie Mason or Dennis Miller. Greg Dean, on the other hand, knows what he's writing about and gives a lot of clear advice on what the public finds funny.