O. Henry is the father of the American short story. For those who have never read him or have not recently read him, this delightful collection is a most rewarding experience.
The author of hundreds of stories and the most widely-read writer of his time, O. Henry enchanted the public with the romance he found in everyday living, in drab boarding houses and forgotten streets, and in the plight of the working-man. But O. Henry is probably best remembered for his development of a popular variety of short story--the expanded anecdote that ended in a sudden twist of plot.
In this selection of his best work, O. Henry is represented by sixty-two tales--among them the memorable "The Gift of the Magi," "Mammon and the Archer," "The Ransom of Mack," "Jimmy Hayes and Muriel," and "Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen."
Including tales of the New York he loved, the Southwest where he grew up, and Latin America, Tales of O. Henry covers the full range of O. Henry's humor, irony, and sense of tragedy. And above all, this book provides rare entertainment, for we can still be moved by the ingenuity and insight of this master American storyteller.
About the Author
O. Henry was the pen name of William Sydney Porter (1862-1910) was a prolific American short story writer. Initially trained as a pharmacist, Porter began his writing career as a journalist and worked on his stories on the side. After being accused of embezzling money from a bank he worked for, he fled to Honduras. He returned to the US upon the death of his wife and was sentenced to five years in prison. It was during this time that he began to have his first stories published. He later moved to New York and began writing stories in earnest. Some of his most famous stories include "Gift of the Magi" and "The Caballero's Way" which introduced the character, the Cisco Kid.
