This is the first collection to appear in twenty years from one of America's best short story writers. His thirteen stories are marvelous -- funny, heartbreaking, and wise by turns, and on occasion all three at once.

Praise for Max Apple:

"Apple may not be as well known a humorist as Russell Baker, Calvin Trillin, or Garrison Keillor. But he should be. He belongs in the same crowd." -- Newsday, reviewing Free Agents

"Apple is an amiable, good-hearted, sweet-tempered writer whose short pieces occupy an agreeable territory somewhere between fact and fiction." -- Washington Post Book World, reviewing Free Agents

"A tender, tough, and totally compelling account." -- USA Today, reviewing Roommates

"The slim, sweet slices of this particular Apple pie are always served warm and contain generous amounts of humor, off-the-wall inventiveness, and down-to-earth intelligence." -- Cleveland Plain Dealer, reviewing Free Agents