Here are some of the things I learned reading Pretty, Pretty, Pretty Good, Josh Levine’s biography of Larry David:



1. Larry was a history major at the University of Maryland. “You never know when you might run into a discussion of the Franco-Prussian War,” he joked.



2. He once worked for bra wholesaler E.D. Grandmont, though he says he never actually made a sale.



3. During his stand-up days, this was one of his signature jokes: “I’ll tell you something about good-looking people. We’re not well liked.”



4. After he left Seinfeld, Larry wrote a movie called Sour Grapes. Roger Ebert gave it zero stars. “I can’t easily remember a film I’ve enjoyed less,” he wrote.



5. HBO executives didn’t like Larry’s title, Curb Your Enthusiasm. Their suggestions included Best Foot Backwards, Half Empty and Regrets Only.

[by Jason English]