Here are fifty Maine tales, pure and regional, yet as universal as life, written by one of the state's most popular authors. John Gould introduces us to Arthur Lawrence who "maintained he could tell the condition of the United States by opening a can of fruit salad." It turned out he could (an excess of cherries meant oversupply, low prices, and recession in upstate New York). He also reminisces about Beevo, his first dog, who "had greatness thrust upon him for one brief. encounter, but was otherwise without redeeming features except for snuggling," and Doc Plummer, whose home-designed sundial upset the community to no end. In each story, amid his clever, good-humored remarks, John Gould shares pithy insights into human nature. He explains, for instance, how the decline of Western civilization is expressed in the vanishing of salt cod, an improbable yet accurate observation. These stories--charming, funny, wise--are about the little. things in life that tell us about the big, and make us smile at what we hear.