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Collected Stories of O. Henry
A collection of 236 stories that reveals O. Henry's acerbic wit, inventive plots, salty language & memorable characters. B&W illus.
843 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1978
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About the author
O. Henry
2,914 books1,871 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 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 1, 2021
3.5 stars. It’s obvious that O Henry loved language. Some of these stories were great.
March 20, 2022
In July 1994, I ran into O.Henry on a very hot summer night when I was writhing in the grip of insomnia. Since then, the O.Henry stories have always been by my bedside. Although you cannot find the profoundness of Zweig or Maupassant in O.Henry, he had an unprecedented talent, which was not evident in either of them: to drown burst into laughter the reader with a sentence or even only one word!
The protagonists in his stories, which he weaves with exaggeration, irony and metaphor, are mostly ordinary (perhaps "semi-ordinary" would be more accurate 😊): thieves, counterfeiters, swindlers. The story almost always ends with a mystification, as if it were an Agatha Christie novel. If you just look at the plot, you might not find the stories humorous; but it is O.Henry's unique narrative style that makes the story full of humor and tearful smiles.
After a brief introduction that also reflects my introspection to O.Henry’s stories, let's come to my number one favorite O.Henry story, namely "The Last Leaf". What did I say, on a hellishly night in 1994, my consolation session, accompanied by my laughter for almost every minute of it, was going on with unexpected endings, as expected, which I stumbled it upon. The first page of the already very short story is over, then the second page, then the third page, and then the last page... " Gosh, was this a O.Henry story, or was someone else's story accidentally mixed in; or even worse, did Poe’s soul incarnate into O.Henry's?" while I was in such confused thoughts, the story ended without a single laugh being heard echoing on the glass walls of my balcony.
Maybe you know, there is an old saying that "A leopard cannot change his spots.", which has a counterpart in almost every culture. O.Henry had done what his temperament dictated in a harmony with this saying, tucked in a few funny words; but this time he not only left the reader in the opposite corner, but also in the opposite direction! Of course, you can easily predict that I didn't mind doing what my temperament dictates either...
The story revolves around Behrman, an old artist who enters the last stages of his career with a terrible disappointment of not being able to produce the masterpiece he has always dreamed of, and his young colleagues Johnsy and Sue, who are still in the sweet months of their careers. As Johnsy, who has pneumonia, watches around from her sickbed, she notices the leaves falling from the vine on the opposite wall and has the idea that she will die the day the last leaf falls to the ground. Sue visits to poor Behrman, who lives downstairs, to request him about to pose for her new illustration. As they talk, she also mentions Johnsy’s condition. Behrman calls Johnsy's idea as foolish naturally. As an inveterate fan of O.Henry, I will of course throw you a curve! I have no intention of going any further and spoiling the beauty of the story; please spare no expense and do not deprive yourself of the pleasure reading this already fleeting O.Henry masterpiece, on your own!
However, if you need to answer the question "What is the main idea of the story?", which we are very accustomed to from high school years, you can respond that this is the story of "a friendship beyond sisterhood" formed between Sue and Johnsy, and more importantly, of the story "loving someone to death" (a perfect hint for sloths 😊) that comes to life in Behrman's personality.
Afterword, I have a habit of reading my favorite books over and over; as my favorite O.Henry story, “The Last Leaf" is no exception. Although I rate it as excellent, I think at times there is something missing in this story. Could we call the feeling that pushed Behrman to this great sacrifice, for which he risked dying, only an innocent "friendly love"? Could it not be that our poor hero had declared his hopeless love for Johnsy in the most glorious way he could? I can more or less predict how Zweig's story "The Triumph of a Heart" 😊, which will contain the answers to these questions, will swirl around a how terrible psychological depression; welcome, the opposite of defeated Salomonsohn who achieved his life's purpose by dying: victorious Behrman! But this is not the case for Maupassant. Though, I wouldn't say it even if I could; is there any point in scaring nigh owls with ghost stories for God's sake, at 2 o'clock in the morning ?..
Comment
The protagonists in his stories, which he weaves with exaggeration, irony and metaphor, are mostly ordinary (perhaps "semi-ordinary" would be more accurate 😊): thieves, counterfeiters, swindlers. The story almost always ends with a mystification, as if it were an Agatha Christie novel. If you just look at the plot, you might not find the stories humorous; but it is O.Henry's unique narrative style that makes the story full of humor and tearful smiles.
After a brief introduction that also reflects my introspection to O.Henry’s stories, let's come to my number one favorite O.Henry story, namely "The Last Leaf". What did I say, on a hellishly night in 1994, my consolation session, accompanied by my laughter for almost every minute of it, was going on with unexpected endings, as expected, which I stumbled it upon. The first page of the already very short story is over, then the second page, then the third page, and then the last page... " Gosh, was this a O.Henry story, or was someone else's story accidentally mixed in; or even worse, did Poe’s soul incarnate into O.Henry's?" while I was in such confused thoughts, the story ended without a single laugh being heard echoing on the glass walls of my balcony.
Maybe you know, there is an old saying that "A leopard cannot change his spots.", which has a counterpart in almost every culture. O.Henry had done what his temperament dictated in a harmony with this saying, tucked in a few funny words; but this time he not only left the reader in the opposite corner, but also in the opposite direction! Of course, you can easily predict that I didn't mind doing what my temperament dictates either...
The story revolves around Behrman, an old artist who enters the last stages of his career with a terrible disappointment of not being able to produce the masterpiece he has always dreamed of, and his young colleagues Johnsy and Sue, who are still in the sweet months of their careers. As Johnsy, who has pneumonia, watches around from her sickbed, she notices the leaves falling from the vine on the opposite wall and has the idea that she will die the day the last leaf falls to the ground. Sue visits to poor Behrman, who lives downstairs, to request him about to pose for her new illustration. As they talk, she also mentions Johnsy’s condition. Behrman calls Johnsy's idea as foolish naturally. As an inveterate fan of O.Henry, I will of course throw you a curve! I have no intention of going any further and spoiling the beauty of the story; please spare no expense and do not deprive yourself of the pleasure reading this already fleeting O.Henry masterpiece, on your own!
However, if you need to answer the question "What is the main idea of the story?", which we are very accustomed to from high school years, you can respond that this is the story of "a friendship beyond sisterhood" formed between Sue and Johnsy, and more importantly, of the story "loving someone to death" (a perfect hint for sloths 😊) that comes to life in Behrman's personality.
Afterword, I have a habit of reading my favorite books over and over; as my favorite O.Henry story, “The Last Leaf" is no exception. Although I rate it as excellent, I think at times there is something missing in this story. Could we call the feeling that pushed Behrman to this great sacrifice, for which he risked dying, only an innocent "friendly love"? Could it not be that our poor hero had declared his hopeless love for Johnsy in the most glorious way he could? I can more or less predict how Zweig's story "The Triumph of a Heart" 😊, which will contain the answers to these questions, will swirl around a how terrible psychological depression; welcome, the opposite of defeated Salomonsohn who achieved his life's purpose by dying: victorious Behrman! But this is not the case for Maupassant. Though, I wouldn't say it even if I could; is there any point in scaring nigh owls with ghost stories for God's sake, at 2 o'clock in the morning ?..
Comment
June 7, 2021
Very funny and well-written, with a lot of twists (some predictable, some unexpected). There was a lot of casual racism throughout, which unfortunately is typical of older American works by white authors; however, O. Henry (aka William Sydney Porter) was surprisingly progressive in his portrayal of female characters, in that he gave them actual personalities and agency. The famous "The Gift of the Magi" is included in this collection, and there is a good introduction that provides an overview of the author's life which gives background to a number of the stories included.
April 30, 2008
I read The Gift of the Magi when I was about eleven years of age. It was probably one of the stories that touched my heart and ever since I have read many stories penned by O. Henry.
What I likee is that he has written about ordinary people and very ordinary circumstances, but the twist of plot brings a different end to the stories.
What I likee is that he has written about ordinary people and very ordinary circumstances, but the twist of plot brings a different end to the stories.
Read
August 3, 2012Another nook freebie. With hundreds of stories, this isn't really one to sit and read cover to cover. The stories are excellent; Henry's ability to encapsulate human nature in a few pages is amazing. It's a lot like poetry where each word counts.
December 7, 2007
perfection in the form of short story.
August 21, 2012
I am not very familiar with American literature and this book is refreshing, the classic story with a twist.And O Henry's humour never fails to amuse.
January 26, 2011
The short-story author everyone should read ---This is a great book with oodles of stories. I have owned and read this book for many years.
August 19, 2012
A nice collection of short stories by O. Henry. As to be expected, the stories have interesting endings.
October 17, 2023
This is one of the most difficult books I have read: not due to content (a bit) but due to the sheer length of the book and the tiny font. Also, because I am not a short story fan and this book has every short story written by O Henry.
But I have to admit, O Henry is a master craftsman. These stories are like a window to the American history at the time of the author. The stories are mainly based in the Texan, Western and New York areas. There are a few recurring themes in the book, such as: rural ranch living being better than artificial city living, people and especially poor working girls suffering in New York, cities providing tiny houses, hobos or tramps, poverty, South American countries being racially backward to the US and brainless, western sharpshooters and so on. The book has many racial elements but I believe it is as per the norm at those times in the US. The US was a wild, raw, poor yet developing, crass, uncultured country at the time of these stories. However, the US was the most superior country and the white man was the most superior of all. The twists in the end are great. But the writing style of the author is just amazing. A must-read for people who love short stories.
But I have to admit, O Henry is a master craftsman. These stories are like a window to the American history at the time of the author. The stories are mainly based in the Texan, Western and New York areas. There are a few recurring themes in the book, such as: rural ranch living being better than artificial city living, people and especially poor working girls suffering in New York, cities providing tiny houses, hobos or tramps, poverty, South American countries being racially backward to the US and brainless, western sharpshooters and so on. The book has many racial elements but I believe it is as per the norm at those times in the US. The US was a wild, raw, poor yet developing, crass, uncultured country at the time of these stories. However, the US was the most superior country and the white man was the most superior of all. The twists in the end are great. But the writing style of the author is just amazing. A must-read for people who love short stories.
December 22, 2024
I didn't finish it. The first stories are about a French detective that solves the mystery out of the blue. Also they were difficult to read.
August 3, 2016
Some of the stories are great, others lose their impact having been "borrowed" multiple times in since he wrote them.
May 26, 2015
I am sure he is a good writer - but i just can not get into this
March 22, 2015
What else can I say? It's O. Henry!
August 1, 2023
There are some great short stories in here but there are also several that kind of boring.
general-fiction
February 21, 2019FIC
HEN
HEN
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews