THE VERY BEST SHORT STORIES OF O. HENRY

by O. Henry

0. Henry was an Amercian writer who was a master of the short story genre. His stories were known for their wit, wordplay, and for having an unexpected twist at the end. He was famous for his warm characterizations of awkward and difficult situations and the creative ways people find to resolve them. His most famous short story, The Gift of the Magi, epitomizes this style. 0. Henry was born William Sydney Porter. He started writing stories while serving a prison sentence and published his first twelve stories while still in prison. In order to keep his real identity private, he took on the pseudonym of 0. Henry, which he maintained throughout his writing career. Though he died atthe age of just 48, he had written more than 600 stories by then. This collection includes some of his outstanding stories, such as The Gift of the Magi, The Cop and the Anthem, The Skylight Room, and Memoirs of a Yellow dog. He was a gifted short story writer who left us a rich legacy of great stories to enjoy. Embassy Books proudly presents this book as part of the Embassy Classics Series, which comprises of some of the finest literary works of great authors.

280 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2017

About the author

Such 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.

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent collection of short stories. His best is definitely The Gift of the Magi.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read. Master story teller.