Bootlegger, chicken-plucker, naval cadet, and public speaker--Max Haines has led an interesting life. Long before becoming Canada's best-known crime writer, Max was a young boy surrounded by colourful characters in his hometown of Antigonish. Watch out for Mother St. Regina, the strict nun who finds fault with Max after a misunderstanding over a piece of candy; beware of Mary Ellen "The Spook," whose other-worldly powers have all the town talking; catch up with telephone operator Alison, whose eavesdropping and gossiping keeps the whole town informed at remarkable speed, and heed the word of Willie the jailer, who lets his charges roam for the day but threatens to lock them out for good if they don't make it back by curfew. Let Max lead you back to the Nova Scotia of the 1930s, '40s, and '50s. There are no traffic lights, no mail delivery, and no numbers on doors, and if you want to call, Max's family's phone number is simply 9. Filled with the larger-than-life inhabitants of a small town (and its occasionally baffled visitors), The Spitting Champion of the World is a lively, funny, and heartwarming collection of stories from a simpler time, told with Max Haines's signature sparkling humour.