PHP and MySQL

Hello, I am using PHP to create forms and then am entering the user input into a MySQL DB In the first query I am trying to select the values that the user entered on the form THIS DOES NOT WERK.... gives error unable to execute query $sql = "INSERT INTO guest (title, first_name, last_name, login, password, passport_number, e_mail, question, answer, industry, job_title, state, city, company, last_visit) VALUES ('\$select\', \'$f_name\', \'$l_name\', \'$login\', \'$password\', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NOW());"; WHEN I TRY TO HARD CODE THE VALUES INTO THE MYSQL QUERY, IT WERKS FINE // $sql = 'INSERT INTO guest (title, first_name, last_name, login, password, passport_number, e_mail, question, answer, industry, job_title, state, city, company, last_visit) VALUES (\'gh\', \'ghdfghhgj\', \'hgddj\', \'ggfgfg\', \'hfgdj\', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NOW());'; Can somebody please tell me where I am going wrong..?? Many thanks Pushpinder Singh Garcha _________________________________ Web Architect T. Falcon Napier and Associates, Inc.