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250 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1909
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About the author
O. Henry
2,917 books1,873 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.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 4, 2025
ENGLISH: Sixteen short stories by O.Henry. I liked especially four of them: "The fourth ingredient," "Buried treasure," "No story," and "The higher pragmatism."
It's curious, those I most liked all had an element of romance, although not all of them end happily. Or perhaps they do!
ESPAÑOL: Dieciséis cuentos de O.Henry. Cuatro de ellos me gustaron más que los demás.
Es curioso, los cuentos que más me gustaron tenían todos un elemento romántico, aunque no todos acaban bien. O quizá sí...
It's curious, those I most liked all had an element of romance, although not all of them end happily. Or perhaps they do!
ESPAÑOL: Dieciséis cuentos de O.Henry. Cuatro de ellos me gustaron más que los demás.
Es curioso, los cuentos que más me gustaron tenían todos un elemento romántico, aunque no todos acaban bien. O quizá sí...
November 4, 2025
William Sydney Porter, better known by his pen-name O. Henry, is best known as a writer of short stories, typically with a "twist" at the end. Someone is not who they say they are, or something is not what it appears to be, or etc. Whether or not you are fond of such a pattern is a large factor in whether or not you will enjoy his stories.
There are other things to consider, of course. O. Henry was rather fond of writing about, and from the perspective of, lower and working class characters, and his writing is (partly as a consequence) rather rough. This is not a Jane Austen sort of prose. O. Henry himself had a large vocabulary and an ability to string together a well-crafted paragraph, but his characters do not use drawing-room style of conversation. This is either interesting, or a distraction, depending on your tastes. Ethnic slurs of every sort are used by his characters, and occasionally by the narrator, and this is justifiably an obstacle to many modern readers. Henry's depiction of black, native American, or Hispanic characters does not seem to be biased, but the language used to introduce them is, let's face it, off-putting nowadays. The change in our tastes is in this case a good one, but given that the rest of the text is just as rough and of-the-people, I am normally able to take it as just part of the flavor of very early 20th century prose.
It should also be said to O. Henry's credit that he does have a lot of young, penniless characters, often working class women, and often far removed from the world of modern costume dramas. You probably get a much more realistic depiction of the life of most people around the turn of the 20th century from his prose, than from most other writers. They are imperfect, hustling for a place in a world that has little room for them, and not particularly occupied with larger philosophical or moral issues. There is a lot of deceit going on in O. Henry's stories, and one gets the impression (corroborated by his biography) that he saw a lot of it. The effect of this collection is very much like that of sitting down for dinner with an amiable scoundrel, who you would not wish to turn your back on, but enjoy hearing talk. Which is fitting, because I believe that is precisely the effect he was aiming for.
There are other things to consider, of course. O. Henry was rather fond of writing about, and from the perspective of, lower and working class characters, and his writing is (partly as a consequence) rather rough. This is not a Jane Austen sort of prose. O. Henry himself had a large vocabulary and an ability to string together a well-crafted paragraph, but his characters do not use drawing-room style of conversation. This is either interesting, or a distraction, depending on your tastes. Ethnic slurs of every sort are used by his characters, and occasionally by the narrator, and this is justifiably an obstacle to many modern readers. Henry's depiction of black, native American, or Hispanic characters does not seem to be biased, but the language used to introduce them is, let's face it, off-putting nowadays. The change in our tastes is in this case a good one, but given that the rest of the text is just as rough and of-the-people, I am normally able to take it as just part of the flavor of very early 20th century prose.
It should also be said to O. Henry's credit that he does have a lot of young, penniless characters, often working class women, and often far removed from the world of modern costume dramas. You probably get a much more realistic depiction of the life of most people around the turn of the 20th century from his prose, than from most other writers. They are imperfect, hustling for a place in a world that has little room for them, and not particularly occupied with larger philosophical or moral issues. There is a lot of deceit going on in O. Henry's stories, and one gets the impression (corroborated by his biography) that he saw a lot of it. The effect of this collection is very much like that of sitting down for dinner with an amiable scoundrel, who you would not wish to turn your back on, but enjoy hearing talk. Which is fitting, because I believe that is precisely the effect he was aiming for.
August 28, 2023
Brilliant and humorous writing from the early 20th century
September 24, 2023
O Henry is a one trick pony but the trick is quite good and the pony has a sense of humor. Almost all the stories follow the same structure and have subtle variations on the same premise, but well written if a bit dated and wordy.
He Also Serves-
“If I could have a thousand years - just one little thousand years - more of life, I might, in that time, draw near enough to true Romance to touch the hem of her robe.”
No Story-
“that dull, leaden, soul-depressing sensation known as the sense of duty.”
He Also Serves-
“If I could have a thousand years - just one little thousand years - more of life, I might, in that time, draw near enough to true Romance to touch the hem of her robe.”
No Story-
“that dull, leaden, soul-depressing sensation known as the sense of duty.”
February 1, 2025
I’ve found that O. Henry’s collections of short stories are best appreciated in small samplings; and this set is no exception. I often keep one volume of his work open for several months, dipping into it from time to time in between other pursuits—sort of like picking raisins out of a fruit cake—enjoying it as a garnish or light relief between other more substantive choices of reading material.
Each of O. Henry’s compilations of stories pans out about the same as the others: a few highlights and some lowlights. Most of the stories are ironic, many of them quite amusing, and a few are downright hilarious, especially when O H sets out to send up a particular character or neighborhood. For example, in the final story in this set, he describes Paloma, ”a new town on the line of the Southern Pacific. A reporter would have called it a “mushroom” town; but it was not. Paloma was, first and last, of the toadstool variety.”
In the same yarn, he characterizes a fellow as ”a small man made of some material resembling flexible sandstone. His hair was the color of a brick Quaker meeting-house; his eyes were twin cranberries; his mouth was like the aperture under a letter-drop-here sign.”
Along the way, O H offers bits of tongue-in-cheek philosophy that, while breezily stated, nevertheless carry a ring of truth— as for example in the opening lines of “Rus in Urbe” where he writes: ”there are three kinds of men I dislike: men who have more money than they can spend; men who have more money than they do spend; and men who spend more money than they have.”
Among the selections included in this volume, I most appreciated “The Higher Pragmatism”, where, as so often happens in O H stories, the protagonist fails to achieve what he sets out to do, but instead ends up with what turns out to be a better choice than what he sought. In O. Henry’s world, there are no stunning victories, nor are there outright failures—just the vagaries of life.
Each of O. Henry’s compilations of stories pans out about the same as the others: a few highlights and some lowlights. Most of the stories are ironic, many of them quite amusing, and a few are downright hilarious, especially when O H sets out to send up a particular character or neighborhood. For example, in the final story in this set, he describes Paloma, ”a new town on the line of the Southern Pacific. A reporter would have called it a “mushroom” town; but it was not. Paloma was, first and last, of the toadstool variety.”
In the same yarn, he characterizes a fellow as ”a small man made of some material resembling flexible sandstone. His hair was the color of a brick Quaker meeting-house; his eyes were twin cranberries; his mouth was like the aperture under a letter-drop-here sign.”
Along the way, O H offers bits of tongue-in-cheek philosophy that, while breezily stated, nevertheless carry a ring of truth— as for example in the opening lines of “Rus in Urbe” where he writes: ”there are three kinds of men I dislike: men who have more money than they can spend; men who have more money than they do spend; and men who spend more money than they have.”
Among the selections included in this volume, I most appreciated “The Higher Pragmatism”, where, as so often happens in O H stories, the protagonist fails to achieve what he sets out to do, but instead ends up with what turns out to be a better choice than what he sought. In O. Henry’s world, there are no stunning victories, nor are there outright failures—just the vagaries of life.
February 6, 2024
Богдан зробив шикарнюче видання О.Генрі, в 12-ти збірках, саме в тому вигляді, як їх писав і видавав автор. От можуть же, якщо захочуть (бо збірки Рея Бредбері у Богдана вийшли геть не авторські, збірна солянка, ну то таке, все одно книжки Богдана любимо).
Так от, О.Генрі. Хоча в принципі, що тут казати, О.Генрі він і в Африці О.Генрі - Бог новели, кращий із кращих. Я раніше дуже давно читав О.Генрі, і тому зараз підбирав для читання саме ту збірку, де були би незнайомі для мене оповідання. За що я люблю, ні, скоріше обожнюю, О.Генрі, так це за його фішку - несподівану, і зазвичай, позитивну, кінцівку його новел. Майже завжди у нього його оповідання закінчуються або чимось зворушливим чи життєстверджуючим, або хепі-ендом, а цього так не вистачає наразі, принаймні, мені. Я навіть, коли дочитую новелу, інколи рукою прикриваю останні пару абзаців, щоби око не стрибнуло, і я не побачив, що автор приготував на десерт.
В цій збірці - "Варіанти" - оповідання більш-менш рівні, хоча декілька все ж таки можна виділити - "Вищий прагматизм", "Rus in Urbe" тощо, але найсмачніший, як на мене - "Третій інгредієнт", саме його і зображено на обкладинці збірки.
Так от, О.Генрі. Хоча в принципі, що тут казати, О.Генрі він і в Африці О.Генрі - Бог новели, кращий із кращих. Я раніше дуже давно читав О.Генрі, і тому зараз підбирав для читання саме ту збірку, де були би незнайомі для мене оповідання. За що я люблю, ні, скоріше обожнюю, О.Генрі, так це за його фішку - несподівану, і зазвичай, позитивну, кінцівку його новел. Майже завжди у нього його оповідання закінчуються або чимось зворушливим чи життєстверджуючим, або хепі-ендом, а цього так не вистачає наразі, принаймні, мені. Я навіть, коли дочитую новелу, інколи рукою прикриваю останні пару абзаців, щоби око не стрибнуло, і я не побачив, що автор приготував на десерт.
В цій збірці - "Варіанти" - оповідання більш-менш рівні, хоча декілька все ж таки можна виділити - "Вищий прагматизм", "Rus in Urbe" тощо, але найсмачніший, як на мене - "Третій інгредієнт", саме його і зображено на обкладинці збірки.
June 5, 2021
OPTIONS was O. Henry’s last story collection published before his death. It wasn’t a strong finish for him. His weaknesses are on display, the first pages of the story authorial throat clearings that could be cut with no loss. Henry also indulges in his fondness for inside jokes. If you are a student of magazine publishing 1900-10, “The Rose of Dixie” has many bad puns that you will appreciate/groan for. If you aren’t it’s more verbiage to plow through. The twist endings are on display, but not to good effect. There’s no shock of recognition by these snappers, just “What do you know? I wouldn’t have guessed,” followed by turning the page to the sports section, or maybe discarding the paper because your subway train has arrived. This is a book of fulfilled contracts, to be read, snickered at, then forgotten until next week’s story is due. Small wonder that Henry had trouble taking his writing seriously.
August 31, 2024
O. Henry's "Options" is a collection of 16 short stories which I review separately. I love his short stories especially the ones tinged with a touch of romance.
THE ROSE OF DIXIE - newspaper story
THE THIRD INGREDIENT - A tenement mixup
THE HIDING OF BLACK BILL - An outlaw?
SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLS -money and love?
THIMBLE, THIMBLE -A southern and his northern relative post civil war era.
SUPPLY AND DEMAND - What is wanted is the demand.
BURIED TREASURE - Who can locate the missing girl wins!
TO HIM WHO WAITS - Can love win over wealth?
HE ALSO SERVES - Three is a crowd.
THE MOMENT OF VICTORY - A vain reward.
THE HEAD-HUNTER- A impossible demand but won in the end.
NO STORY -Looking for the past before reaching the future.
THE HIGHER PRAGMATISM -Proving a boxer he is wrong, but is he?
BEST-SELLER -Winning over a father to gain a lover!
RUS IN URBE - City in the summer heat or country living?
A POOR RULE -To tell the truth or tell a fib?
THE ROSE OF DIXIE - newspaper story
THE THIRD INGREDIENT - A tenement mixup
THE HIDING OF BLACK BILL - An outlaw?
SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLS -money and love?
THIMBLE, THIMBLE -A southern and his northern relative post civil war era.
SUPPLY AND DEMAND - What is wanted is the demand.
BURIED TREASURE - Who can locate the missing girl wins!
TO HIM WHO WAITS - Can love win over wealth?
HE ALSO SERVES - Three is a crowd.
THE MOMENT OF VICTORY - A vain reward.
THE HEAD-HUNTER- A impossible demand but won in the end.
NO STORY -Looking for the past before reaching the future.
THE HIGHER PRAGMATISM -Proving a boxer he is wrong, but is he?
BEST-SELLER -Winning over a father to gain a lover!
RUS IN URBE - City in the summer heat or country living?
A POOR RULE -To tell the truth or tell a fib?
January 26, 2018
There's a certain sameness to most O. Henry stories, and if you're just getting started on O. Henry, you may want to start with collections like "The Four Million" or "Cabbages and Kings" that contain his more famous stories. There aren't many well-known stories in "Options"; perhaps "The Hiding of Black Bill" might be an exception. But if you've read those already, but would like hearing almost any story told in the inimitable voice of O. Henry, with its colorful and almost incomprehensible slang, twist endings and humorous affection for all of humanity, whether they are harmless felons or rivals in a dusty Southwestern town for the affections of the one young lady in a fifty-mile radius, you will enjoy "Options" as I did.
April 15, 2025
I just love his writing style. It comes off so witty and charming - with brilliant dashes of political and social commentary spread here and there.
I loved the set-ups, and the resolutions are classic O. Henry. Even in case of predictability, he manages to dish out some novel, undiscovered angle. However, the best part easily was the dialogues. Henry has a knack of holding a common man's tongue and plastering literary undertones on to the commonplace words coming out of it, superior to anyone else.
My favourite stories were - The Third Ingredient, Schools and Schools, Buried Treasure and The Headhunter.
I loved the set-ups, and the resolutions are classic O. Henry. Even in case of predictability, he manages to dish out some novel, undiscovered angle. However, the best part easily was the dialogues. Henry has a knack of holding a common man's tongue and plastering literary undertones on to the commonplace words coming out of it, superior to anyone else.
My favourite stories were - The Third Ingredient, Schools and Schools, Buried Treasure and The Headhunter.
October 2, 2023
I continue to fill up the evening hours with the occasional audiobook of O. Henry’s short stories. The various collections of his stories are ideal for listening to while working around the house. They are easy to follow and, of course, his well-known propensity for the twist adds a pleasant note to the end of the tale. If some of them are predictable due to O. Henry’s sentimentality, none of them are diminished because of it.
May 11, 2019
Another nice collection of short stories that fully describe the place and people they’re about, along with endlessly inventive plot twists. I admit they tend to become repetitive in large doses so I’m happy to read each collection on its own with a palate cleanser (a completely different genre) in between to make me appreciate them more.
November 29, 2018
This is the first time I've picked up a volume of O'Henry in a long time, and two things stood out:
1. How delightful his playful, erudite style can be.
2. How much he plays off gender and racial stereotypes.
I don't think this stuff would be published today!
1. How delightful his playful, erudite style can be.
2. How much he plays off gender and racial stereotypes.
I don't think this stuff would be published today!
July 12, 2018
Very interesting and entertaining short stories.
July 23, 2023
Great book, I listened to the audiobook version on YouTube. I will leave the link below so that everyone can enjoy it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvCmO...
January 31, 2025
This was my grandfather’s book, with a copyright of 1909, I’ve had it for more than twenty years. I looked forward to his writings be this book fell short of my expectations.
Want to read
August 5, 2012Henry, O.
The Complete Works of O. Henry
In compilation only.
1) "The Rose of Dixie"
2) The Third Ingredient
3) The Hiding of Black Bill
4) Schools and Schools
5) Thimble, Thimble
6) Supply and Demand
7) Buried Treasure
8) To Him Who Waits
9) He also Serves
10) The Moment of Victory
11) The Head-Hunter
12) No Story
13) The Higher Pragmatism
14) Best-Seller
15) Rus in Urbe
16) A Poor Rule
The Complete Works of O. Henry
In compilation only.
1) "The Rose of Dixie"
2) The Third Ingredient
3) The Hiding of Black Bill
4) Schools and Schools
5) Thimble, Thimble
6) Supply and Demand
7) Buried Treasure
8) To Him Who Waits
9) He also Serves
10) The Moment of Victory
11) The Head-Hunter
12) No Story
13) The Higher Pragmatism
14) Best-Seller
15) Rus in Urbe
16) A Poor Rule
Want to read
January 1, 2024Read so far:
*Rose of Dixie --
*The Third Ingredient --
The Hiding of Black Bill --3
*Schools and Schools --
Thimble, Thimble --3
Supply and Demand--
*Buried Treasure --
To Him Who Waits --
*He Also Serves --
*The Moment of Victory --
*The Head Hunter --
No Story --
*The Higher Pragmatism --
*Best Seller --
*Rus in Urbe --
A Poor Rule --
*Rose of Dixie --
*The Third Ingredient --
The Hiding of Black Bill --3
*Schools and Schools --
Thimble, Thimble --3
Supply and Demand--
*Buried Treasure --
To Him Who Waits --
*He Also Serves --
*The Moment of Victory --
*The Head Hunter --
No Story --
*The Higher Pragmatism --
*Best Seller --
*Rus in Urbe --
A Poor Rule --
September 2, 2012
Anyone serious about short stories should not miss O. Henry's work!
Want to read
March 27, 20141918 edition by Doubleday
January 6, 2015
No one writes short stories like O. Henry. This collection does have several too-similar stories, but it's still an enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews