What do you think?
Rate this book
Благородный жулик
Когда человек ограбил своих ближних на известную сумму, ему становится жутковато и хочется отдать часть награбленного. И ели проследить за ним внимательно, можно заметить, что он пытается компенсировать тех же людей, которых еще так недавно очистил до нитки. Возьмем гидростатический случай: предположим, некто А. Нажил миллионы, продавая керосин неимущим ученым, которые изучают политическую экономию и методы управления трестами. Так вот, эти доллары, которые гнетут его совесть, он непременно пожертвует университетам и колледжам. Что же касается Б., тот нажился на рабочих, у которых всего богатство - руки да инструмент. Как же ему перекачать некоторую долю своего покаянного фонда обратно в карманы их спецодежды?
О. Генри `Кафедра филантроматематики`
О. Генри `Кафедра филантроматематики`
160 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1908
About the author
O. Henry
2,923 books1,924 followersSuch volumes as
Cabbages and Kings
(1904) and
The Four Million
(1906) collect short stories, noted for their often surprising endings, of American writer William Sydney Porter, who used the pen name O. Henry.
His biography shows where he found inspiration for his characters. His era produced their voices and his language.
Mother of three-year-old Porter died from tuberculosis. He left school at fifteen years of age and worked for five years in drugstore of his uncle and then for two years at a Texas sheep ranch.
In 1884, he went to Austin, where he worked in a real estate office and a church choir and spent four years as a draftsman in the general land office. His wife and firstborn died, but daughter Margaret survived him.
He failed to establish a small humorous weekly and afterward worked in poorly-run bank. When its accounts balanced not, people blamed and fired him.
In Houston, he worked for a few years until, ordered to stand trial for embezzlement, he fled to New Orleans and thence Honduras.
Two years later, he returned on account of illness of his wife. Apprehended, Porter served a few months more than three years in a penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio. During his incarceration, he composed ten short stories, including A Blackjack Bargainer , The Enchanted Kiss , and The Duplicity of Hargraves .
In 1899, McClure's published Whistling Dick's Christmas Story and Georgia's Ruling .
In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he sent manuscripts to New York editors. In the spring of 1902, Ainslee's Magazine offered him a regular income if he moved to New York.
In less than eight years, he became a bestselling author of collections of short stories. Cabbages and Kings came first in 1904 The Four Million, and The Trimmed Lamp and Heart of the West followed in 1907, and The Voice of the City in 1908, Roads of Destiny and Options in 1909, Strictly Business and Whirligigs in 1910 followed.
Posthumously published collections include The Gentle Grafter about the swindler, Jeff Peters; Rolling Stones , Waifs and Strays , and in 1936, unsigned stories, followed.
People rewarded other persons financially more. A Retrieved Reformation about the safe-cracker Jimmy Valentine got $250; six years later, $500 for dramatic rights, which gave over $100,000 royalties for playwright Paul Armstrong. Many stories have been made into films.
His biography shows where he found inspiration for his characters. His era produced their voices and his language.
Mother of three-year-old Porter died from tuberculosis. He left school at fifteen years of age and worked for five years in drugstore of his uncle and then for two years at a Texas sheep ranch.
In 1884, he went to Austin, where he worked in a real estate office and a church choir and spent four years as a draftsman in the general land office. His wife and firstborn died, but daughter Margaret survived him.
He failed to establish a small humorous weekly and afterward worked in poorly-run bank. When its accounts balanced not, people blamed and fired him.
In Houston, he worked for a few years until, ordered to stand trial for embezzlement, he fled to New Orleans and thence Honduras.
Two years later, he returned on account of illness of his wife. Apprehended, Porter served a few months more than three years in a penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio. During his incarceration, he composed ten short stories, including A Blackjack Bargainer , The Enchanted Kiss , and The Duplicity of Hargraves .
In 1899, McClure's published Whistling Dick's Christmas Story and Georgia's Ruling .
In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he sent manuscripts to New York editors. In the spring of 1902, Ainslee's Magazine offered him a regular income if he moved to New York.
In less than eight years, he became a bestselling author of collections of short stories. Cabbages and Kings came first in 1904 The Four Million, and The Trimmed Lamp and Heart of the West followed in 1907, and The Voice of the City in 1908, Roads of Destiny and Options in 1909, Strictly Business and Whirligigs in 1910 followed.
Posthumously published collections include The Gentle Grafter about the swindler, Jeff Peters; Rolling Stones , Waifs and Strays , and in 1936, unsigned stories, followed.
People rewarded other persons financially more. A Retrieved Reformation about the safe-cracker Jimmy Valentine got $250; six years later, $500 for dramatic rights, which gave over $100,000 royalties for playwright Paul Armstrong. Many stories have been made into films.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
August 29, 2025
Published early in the 20th century, this is a collection of 14 short stories about the schemes and projects of grafters, grifters, con men and swindlers - guys looking to make a quick buck (or more) at someone else’s expense. It’s light entertainment from the late 19th century with a focus on the shady side of the American dream. The stories are written in a folksy, conversational style, filled with street-wise slang, malapropisms and a particular humour of the times that may be missed by today’s readers. In keeping with O. Henry’s trademark style, all of the stories conclude with an unexpected, ironic or humorous twist.
I found these stories fun and entertaining. Each dealt with a different kind of grift, graft or swindle and there was something to be learned about the inner workings of some of these con games. This is a light and humorous look at America in “the Gilded Age”, starring likeable swindlers who aren't really bad guys, at all. 3.5 stars
I found these stories fun and entertaining. Each dealt with a different kind of grift, graft or swindle and there was something to be learned about the inner workings of some of these con games. This is a light and humorous look at America in “the Gilded Age”, starring likeable swindlers who aren't really bad guys, at all. 3.5 stars
April 30, 2022
The Gentle Grafter is a typical O Henry collection in that each story has something of a trick ending. It is atypical in that the stories are all connected by the character of Jeff Peters, the gentle grafter of the book’s title. Each story is a tale of his cons, bunks, grafts, and other crimes, and each trick ending reveals the con sprung, the con gone awry, or occasionally, the double cross con turned back on Peters. Jeff Peters is an affable rascal with his own unique code of conduct, and you will enjoy the time spent reading his tales, no bunk!
August 26, 2025
ENGLISH: 14 short stories by O.Henry, all of them related to grafters, swindlers, hustlers. The protagonist of twelve of them is Jeff Peters, frequently accompanied by young Andy Tucker. Apart from this book, Peters appears in two more stories, one of them quite good, but where he doesn't act as a swindler: Cupid à la carte in Heart of the West.
This is the first time I've read this book. The most original (for me) was The exact science of matrimony.
In one of the stories (The man higher up) Jeff Peters explains that there are three kinds of grafters: a) Common burglars (labor); grafters like Peters that give something in exchange for money (traders); and speculators (capital).
ESPAÑOL: 14 relatos cortos de O. Henry, todos ellos relacionados con estafadores y sinvergüenzas. El protagonista de doce de ellos es Jeff Peters, acompañado a menudo por el joven Andy Tucker. Aparte de en este libro, Peters aparece en dos relatos más, uno de ellos bastante bueno, donde no desempeña el papel de un sinvergüenza: Cupido a la carta en El corazón del oeste.
Esta es la primera vez que leo este libro. El relato más original (para mí) fue La ciencia exacta del matrimonio.
En uno de los relatos (El hombre de más arriba) Jeff Peters explica que hay tres tipos de estafadores: a) Ladrones comunes (mano de obra); estafadores como Peters que dan algo a cambio de dinero (comerciantes); y especuladores (capital).
This is the first time I've read this book. The most original (for me) was The exact science of matrimony.
In one of the stories (The man higher up) Jeff Peters explains that there are three kinds of grafters: a) Common burglars (labor); grafters like Peters that give something in exchange for money (traders); and speculators (capital).
ESPAÑOL: 14 relatos cortos de O. Henry, todos ellos relacionados con estafadores y sinvergüenzas. El protagonista de doce de ellos es Jeff Peters, acompañado a menudo por el joven Andy Tucker. Aparte de en este libro, Peters aparece en dos relatos más, uno de ellos bastante bueno, donde no desempeña el papel de un sinvergüenza: Cupido a la carta en El corazón del oeste.
Esta es la primera vez que leo este libro. El relato más original (para mí) fue La ciencia exacta del matrimonio.
En uno de los relatos (El hombre de más arriba) Jeff Peters explica que hay tres tipos de estafadores: a) Ladrones comunes (mano de obra); estafadores como Peters que dan algo a cambio de dinero (comerciantes); y especuladores (capital).
June 24, 2018
There is a wonderful irony in O Henry’s short story collection, The Gentle Grafter (Kindle edition). Almost every American has read The Gift of the Magi. It has become a cultural meme. A warm hearted story of loving and gifting. These are also warm hearted stories of con men and grafting. Think of Damon Runyoun’s Nathan Detroit on the road. There is humor in grafting and O Henry manages a light touch even has his heart-of-gold thieves touch their marks, ever so lightly. No violence and no bad language, although do not be alarmed if some of the period jargon makes its way into your child’s vocabulary.
To address sensitivities not or barely on a popular writer’s mind in the closing years of the 19th century: Women are rarely spoken of with respect and such females as make their way to these pagers are less than fully developed characters. On the other hand most of them are equals in the art of selling gilt edge stock certificates and other cons. African American get very little in the way of respect. There is some humor at the expense of Christians and almost no mention of Jews. New Yorkers seem to get the most pointed barbs although it is assumed that farmers were made to be the God given place for an honest con artist to refill his wallet.
These are fun stories about men who take, but who feel constrained about leaving something behind and never wiping out widows or the truly poor. They want their action to be at the expense of the ‘excess’ cash of which this or that citizen may be seeking to unburden themselves. And always the famous O Henry Twist.
The slang, argot and malapropism can get a tad thick. Usually one can guess the intended meaning given the context, but Henry lacks the balance that made Runyon a master of (in his case) mostly made up Broadway street talk. Of course Mark Twain was always better at using the local voice.
Read this too fast and the stories can get to be too much. Relax, pace yourself a few at a time. The Gentle Grafter is going to be fun.
To address sensitivities not or barely on a popular writer’s mind in the closing years of the 19th century: Women are rarely spoken of with respect and such females as make their way to these pagers are less than fully developed characters. On the other hand most of them are equals in the art of selling gilt edge stock certificates and other cons. African American get very little in the way of respect. There is some humor at the expense of Christians and almost no mention of Jews. New Yorkers seem to get the most pointed barbs although it is assumed that farmers were made to be the God given place for an honest con artist to refill his wallet.
These are fun stories about men who take, but who feel constrained about leaving something behind and never wiping out widows or the truly poor. They want their action to be at the expense of the ‘excess’ cash of which this or that citizen may be seeking to unburden themselves. And always the famous O Henry Twist.
The slang, argot and malapropism can get a tad thick. Usually one can guess the intended meaning given the context, but Henry lacks the balance that made Runyon a master of (in his case) mostly made up Broadway street talk. Of course Mark Twain was always better at using the local voice.
Read this too fast and the stories can get to be too much. Relax, pace yourself a few at a time. The Gentle Grafter is going to be fun.
December 28, 2014
Alright book with stories of different scams at the beginning of the 20th century in the USA.
Whole book can be found here: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1805
Some nice quotes:
"that in all my illegitimate inroads against the legal letter of the law the article sold must be existent, visible, producible. In that way and by a careful study of city ordinances and train schedules I have kept out of all trouble with the police that a five dollar bill and a cigar could not square."
"There are two kinds of graft," said Jeff, "that ought to be wiped out by law. I mean Wall Street speculation, and burglary." "Nearly everybody will agree with you as to one of them," said I, with a laugh. "Well, burglary ought to be wiped out, too," said Jeff;
"In my line of business," said Jeff, "the hardest thing is to find an upright, trustworthy, strictly honorable partner to work a graft with. Some of the best men I ever worked with in a swindle would resort to trickery at times.
Whole book can be found here: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1805
Some nice quotes:
"that in all my illegitimate inroads against the legal letter of the law the article sold must be existent, visible, producible. In that way and by a careful study of city ordinances and train schedules I have kept out of all trouble with the police that a five dollar bill and a cigar could not square."
"There are two kinds of graft," said Jeff, "that ought to be wiped out by law. I mean Wall Street speculation, and burglary." "Nearly everybody will agree with you as to one of them," said I, with a laugh. "Well, burglary ought to be wiped out, too," said Jeff;
"In my line of business," said Jeff, "the hardest thing is to find an upright, trustworthy, strictly honorable partner to work a graft with. Some of the best men I ever worked with in a swindle would resort to trickery at times.
November 26, 2025
O. Henry discovered at some early point in his career that an unexpected twist in a short story would make it more memorable, and as a result further his career as a writer. This does, though, present a problem (not unknown to M. Night Shyamalan), that you may have difficulty regularly coming up with such twists. One device that he uses, is to have as the narrator (or often the person who is telling a tale to the narrator) a con-man (since the con usually involves something unexpected, which can be revealed at the end). This collection brings together over a dozen of such tales, involving a recurring character named Jeff Peters.
It should be acknowledged that O. Henry, while he was not himself (as far as I know) a con-man, was in fact convicted of bank fraud, and probably knew at least something about confidence schemes from personal experience. He also enjoys having the shyster in question, Jeff Peters, express moral disapproval of financiers, considering their schemes to be too deceitful and unfair for his own tastes. O. Henry is not, primarily, a political writer, but that makes his occasional jibes at the ruling elite all the more cutting.
O. Henry spent time in South Carolina, Texas, central America, and New York City, and all of these backdrops make appearances in his writing. There are (especially in the 21st century) many writers who appear to mostly have learned about people by reading fiction, and therefore to have little ability to write about anyone outside of their own bubble. O. Henry was forced by circumstances (and his own actions) to spend a great deal of time living among and talking to people of many different classes, races, and cultures. It gives him an ability to write about human nature with neither innocence nor cynicism, neither ill will nor an excess of sentiment. His characters are mostly sympathetic, but not particularly noble. They lie, they are neither well educated nor (in most cases) particularly wise, and yet they are mostly people who we can like well enough to root for, most of the time.
But, if you should ever run into someone in life who reminds you of O. Henry, hold on to your wallet.
It should be acknowledged that O. Henry, while he was not himself (as far as I know) a con-man, was in fact convicted of bank fraud, and probably knew at least something about confidence schemes from personal experience. He also enjoys having the shyster in question, Jeff Peters, express moral disapproval of financiers, considering their schemes to be too deceitful and unfair for his own tastes. O. Henry is not, primarily, a political writer, but that makes his occasional jibes at the ruling elite all the more cutting.
O. Henry spent time in South Carolina, Texas, central America, and New York City, and all of these backdrops make appearances in his writing. There are (especially in the 21st century) many writers who appear to mostly have learned about people by reading fiction, and therefore to have little ability to write about anyone outside of their own bubble. O. Henry was forced by circumstances (and his own actions) to spend a great deal of time living among and talking to people of many different classes, races, and cultures. It gives him an ability to write about human nature with neither innocence nor cynicism, neither ill will nor an excess of sentiment. His characters are mostly sympathetic, but not particularly noble. They lie, they are neither well educated nor (in most cases) particularly wise, and yet they are mostly people who we can like well enough to root for, most of the time.
But, if you should ever run into someone in life who reminds you of O. Henry, hold on to your wallet.
March 5, 2021
The Gentle Grafter is one of the collections of O. Henry’s short stories. Officially, O. Henry only wrote one novel, entitled Cabbages & Kings, which consisted of a series of interconnected short stories, and is considered a novel due to the interconnected nature of the stories and the thematic unity. Usually, O. Henry’s other collections of stories are simply that—collected stories. In this case, there could be a strong argument for considering this collection as tending to the same type of unity. All of the stories feature one particular con-man, Jeff Peters, and frequently also feature his occasional partner, Andy Tucker. The stories are not interconnected, so the collection fails to hit novelistic status, but are brief episodes of the various cons that Peters—or Peters and Tucker—become involved in pulling off. The “Gentle” part of the title is due to the fact that Peters is a con-man with a moral code. He refuses to con “widows” or “shop-girls” or to take the hard earned nickels of working boys. He also refuses to simply try to con someone without a perceived exchange in value. In one story, he has been traveling from town to town in a medicine-show wagon selling a secret life-giving elixir from the Choctaw Indian Tribe that is nothing more than a concoction of well water and alcohol mixed with herbs; however, he maintains that his customers believe that it works, so there is value for the exchange. From there, he frequently moves on to more elaborate cons, but once again, he refuses to con anyone who cannot afford the loss and who must be someone who is simply asking to be taken; in such instances, the value is in the education that he is providing to the target. As in all O. Henry stories, the twist at the end of the story is important, and the malapropisms in the conversation of the main character develop the humor. I have been working my way through the collections of stories because they are ideal audio stories for the car. Most of them are between fifteen to twenty minutes listening time and do not require intense concentration. Instead, they are a fun and light bit of pleasure.
January 7, 2023
A free read for Kindle from Amazon.
What a clever idea! O. Henry takes apart grafts (scams) of the early 1900s and shows not only how they work but how double scams or the "rubes" take the scammers! I wonder how many readers saw this and thought, oh no, I've done that before! Could you imagine a short story collection now of people doing the Nigerian prince scam, or the "I'm your grandson and I'm in jail, can you send bail money in the form of Amazon gift cards to this number?"
Clever quotes as always from O. Henry--
"There are two kinds of graft," said Jeff, "that ought to be wiped out by law. I mean Wall Street speculation, and burglary." "Nearly everybody will agree with you as to one of them," said I, with a laugh. "Well, burglary ought to be wiped out, too," said Jeff.
What a clever idea! O. Henry takes apart grafts (scams) of the early 1900s and shows not only how they work but how double scams or the "rubes" take the scammers! I wonder how many readers saw this and thought, oh no, I've done that before! Could you imagine a short story collection now of people doing the Nigerian prince scam, or the "I'm your grandson and I'm in jail, can you send bail money in the form of Amazon gift cards to this number?"
Clever quotes as always from O. Henry--
"There are two kinds of graft," said Jeff, "that ought to be wiped out by law. I mean Wall Street speculation, and burglary." "Nearly everybody will agree with you as to one of them," said I, with a laugh. "Well, burglary ought to be wiped out, too," said Jeff.
July 21, 2023
Humorous, and almost instructional, tales of graft and slickery.
December 15, 2013
A great disservice has been done to O. Henry by anthologists who seem incapable of reading beyond his most hackneyed, sentimental pieces. In his best pieces, his colorful use of vernacular and his ability to capture the spirit of his times is wonderfully entertaining.
If your opinion of O.Henry is based on the horribly saccharine "Gift of the Magi", read some of these stories and see why he was so appreciated in his time.
If your opinion of O.Henry is based on the horribly saccharine "Gift of the Magi", read some of these stories and see why he was so appreciated in his time.
May 23, 2019
ENTERTAINING SHORT STORIES.
“ ‘Drink,’ says Andy, ‘always drives me to oratory.’ ” —The Octopus Marooned, (p. 6).
O. Henry has long been my go to guy whenever the bill of fare calls for highly entertaining, terrifically well written short stories. The Gentle Grafter is a collection of fourteen such short stories in tribute to the art of the scam.
Recommendation: Very entertaining way to while away the hours.
“I bit off a chunk and sits down on a pile of ties by the track to recogitate my sensations of thought and perspicacity.”—The Man Higher Up, (p. 62)
Open Road. Kindle Edition, 109 pages
“ ‘Drink,’ says Andy, ‘always drives me to oratory.’ ” —The Octopus Marooned, (p. 6).
O. Henry has long been my go to guy whenever the bill of fare calls for highly entertaining, terrifically well written short stories. The Gentle Grafter is a collection of fourteen such short stories in tribute to the art of the scam.
Recommendation: Very entertaining way to while away the hours.
“I bit off a chunk and sits down on a pile of ties by the track to recogitate my sensations of thought and perspicacity.”—The Man Higher Up, (p. 62)
Open Road. Kindle Edition, 109 pages
May 23, 2019
ENTERTAINING SHORT STORIES.
“ ‘Drink,’ says Andy, ‘always drives me to oratory.’ ” —The Octopus Marooned, (p. 6).
O. Henry has long been my go to guy whenever the bill of fare calls for highly entertaining, terrifically well written short stories. The Gentle Grafter is a collection of fourteen such short stories in tribute to the art of the scam.
Recommendation: Very entertaining way to while away the hours.
“I bit off a chunk and sits down on a pile of ties by the track to recogitate my sensations of thought and perspicacity.”—The Man Higher Up, (p. 62)
Open Road. Kindle Edition, 109 pages
“ ‘Drink,’ says Andy, ‘always drives me to oratory.’ ” —The Octopus Marooned, (p. 6).
O. Henry has long been my go to guy whenever the bill of fare calls for highly entertaining, terrifically well written short stories. The Gentle Grafter is a collection of fourteen such short stories in tribute to the art of the scam.
Recommendation: Very entertaining way to while away the hours.
“I bit off a chunk and sits down on a pile of ties by the track to recogitate my sensations of thought and perspicacity.”—The Man Higher Up, (p. 62)
Open Road. Kindle Edition, 109 pages
December 11, 2023
я дуже люблю оповідання О"Генрі, саме до них я повертаюся раз за разом, вони мене втішають, покращюють мій настрій, можу читати їх безліч разів, весь час знаходячи нові моменти, або згадуючи, як я сміялася минулого разу. Ця збірка про справжніх шляхетних злодіїв, які намагалися уникнути чистого криміналу, а займалися аферами та обманом довіри, але мали свій суворий кодекс честі і не дурили бідних, молодих дівчат, які планують одружитися, удовиць, старих та дітей. Інколи дурили їх самих :)
February 15, 2016
It took me the longest time to finish this, even though every time I picked it up to read a chapter, I enjoyed it.
As a fan of Jerome K Jerome I would recommend this. Entertaining and funny, I shall look out for more of his work. And hopefully it won't take me as long to finish.
As a fan of Jerome K Jerome I would recommend this. Entertaining and funny, I shall look out for more of his work. And hopefully it won't take me as long to finish.
October 10, 2013
A collection of short stories about grafters who travel, peddle and swindle in the South. Those grafters have different business ethics and moral senses, and their artistic plots lead them to an unsuspected but comic ending.
September 19, 2015
Many great short stories
July 5, 2016
The master of the surprise ending tells tales of grifters Jeff and Andy and their "Scams Across America" tour...perfect reading for this political season!
April 11, 2018
I never saw so much double talk in my life. It’s a work of art.
November 9, 2024
3 stars, Metaphorosis reviews.
Summary
A collection of stories about intermittently honest con artist Jeff Peters and his compatriots.
Review
On this fifth collection of stories, O. Henry tries again to give the collection a theme – as he did with his western stories. This time, retired con man Jeff Peters is relating his experiences – invariably the story of a grift that didn’t always go right.
The stories are pleasant, but the conceit doesn’t really work here. I never felt as engaged by Peters and his cohort as I’d have liked. There’s also necessarily a sameness to the stories that palled fairly quickly. While each con is different, the general approach and tone is often the same. O. Henry applies his trademark fun with vocabulary and the occasional twist ending, but it’s not enough to make the collection stand out.
While I enjoyed this well enough, and the stories are all short and easily digested, I was never really eager to pick the book up.
Summary
A collection of stories about intermittently honest con artist Jeff Peters and his compatriots.
Review
On this fifth collection of stories, O. Henry tries again to give the collection a theme – as he did with his western stories. This time, retired con man Jeff Peters is relating his experiences – invariably the story of a grift that didn’t always go right.
The stories are pleasant, but the conceit doesn’t really work here. I never felt as engaged by Peters and his cohort as I’d have liked. There’s also necessarily a sameness to the stories that palled fairly quickly. While each con is different, the general approach and tone is often the same. O. Henry applies his trademark fun with vocabulary and the occasional twist ending, but it’s not enough to make the collection stand out.
While I enjoyed this well enough, and the stories are all short and easily digested, I was never really eager to pick the book up.
May 11, 2026
O. Henry’s “The Gentle Grifter” is many different timesy of schemes by either Jeff Peters or Andy Tucker that have mix results of gaining or losing on their fraud. The humorous pair are mixed up and net loss in the end. Each story reviewed under the short story.
-THE OCTOPUS MAROONED
-JEFF PETERS AS A PERSONAL MAGNET
-MODERN RURAL SPORTS
-THE CHAIR OF PHILANTHROMATHEMATICS
-THE HAND THAT RILES THE WORLD
-THE EXACT SCIENCE OF MATRIMONY
-A MIDSUMMER MASQUERADE
-SHEARING THE WOLF
-INNOCENTS OF BROADWAY
-CONSCIENCE IN ART
-THE MAN HIGHER UP
-A TEMPERED WIND
-HOSTAGES TO MOMUS
-THE ETHICS OF PIG
-THE OCTOPUS MAROONED
-JEFF PETERS AS A PERSONAL MAGNET
-MODERN RURAL SPORTS
-THE CHAIR OF PHILANTHROMATHEMATICS
-THE HAND THAT RILES THE WORLD
-THE EXACT SCIENCE OF MATRIMONY
-A MIDSUMMER MASQUERADE
-SHEARING THE WOLF
-INNOCENTS OF BROADWAY
-CONSCIENCE IN ART
-THE MAN HIGHER UP
-A TEMPERED WIND
-HOSTAGES TO MOMUS
-THE ETHICS OF PIG
January 15, 2021
I love witty wordplay presented in 'The Gentle Grafter'. I'd recommend to listen to an audio book, because it gives a better understanding of jokes based on similar pronunciation of words. Honestly speaking, I found the last quarter of the book not as interesting as the beginning.
Being a learner of English, I'd also like to rate the comprehensibility of the book. It has a lot of rarely used words, neologisms ('octopusing' got me confused at first) and sometimes the grammar is a little bit difficult. So I rate it 3/5.
Being a learner of English, I'd also like to rate the comprehensibility of the book. It has a lot of rarely used words, neologisms ('octopusing' got me confused at first) and sometimes the grammar is a little bit difficult. So I rate it 3/5.
August 14, 2018
Sometimes the swindler gets swindled, which adds to the charm of these stories.
Warning: Story 12 or 13 (I cannot remember which) has some racial attitudes and terminology that is not acceptable today. It is towards the beginning of the story, describing how Jeff hooked up with his partner for their latest adventure.
Warning: Story 12 or 13 (I cannot remember which) has some racial attitudes and terminology that is not acceptable today. It is towards the beginning of the story, describing how Jeff hooked up with his partner for their latest adventure.
June 19, 2021
Reading O'Henry is like taking a trip through turn-of-the-century America with a tour guide who enjoys the average person and has an above-average appreciation of the absurd. I love his use of language, his often homely and decent main characters, and his hallmark twist at the end of each story.
November 7, 2022
The first story was very profligate and I thought O. Henry missed the quarry with the impassible twist denouement. But what the hay might as well imbibe another bunch of blather which was much the renovation. Note: malapropisms proliferate in this opus minimus.
March 10, 2018
This was not my favorite of O. Henry's short story books. All of the stories were about grafts (swindles) that were either effective or not. Most were okay, but not as great as other stories of his.
April 30, 2021
Even though I didn’t like the plot, the humor and the storytelling style was enjoyable. I liked the writing style of the stories and the surprising end of each one of them.
July 26, 2021
Some of the references were dated; lots of allusions to Bryan, for instance. A shocking racist section in "A Tempered Wind" (p. 164). Not O Henry at hi best.
January 31, 2023
From the author of the gift of the magi. This is a dated book with early americana references and prejudice.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews