The Ultimate David Sedaris Box Set

Previously released in 2002 as a 14-CD set containing Sedaris's Naked , Holidays on Ice , Barrel Fever and Other Stories and Me Talk Pretty One Day , this updated 20-CD box set adds his latest two Grammy-nominated audios (his single-disc live concert at Carnegie Hall and the unabridged Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim ). Twenty-two hours of Sedaris in one box should be nirvana to his legion of fans. This collection allows listeners to witness Sedaris's growth as a writer. He never stops being funny but by Dress Your Family , his essays exhibit the memoirist more than the humorist, and his ability to walk a razor's edge between hilarity and heartbreak (without bathos) is breathtaking. His essays are written to be read aloud, and he performs them flawlessly. Considering the long gestation of this collection, it's surprising that the interior packaging is so dismal. The discs are housed in blank, black slipcases with no illustrations or track listings (which is especially distressing because Barrel Fever , Naked and Holidays don't have track listings on their discs and there is no track listing on the outer package). (Nov.)