Publisher: New American Library

Copyright Date: 2007

Edition Date: 2007 Release Date: 07/03/07

Pages: xvi, 424 pages

ISBN: Publisher: 0-451-53053-5 Perma-Bound: 0-605-16154-2

ISBN 13: Publisher: 978-0-451-53053-0 Perma-Bound: 978-0-605-16154-2

Dewey: Fic

LCCN: 84061449

Dimensions: 18 cm.

Subject Heading:
United States. Social life and customs. Fiction.

Language: English

Reading Level: 10.0

Interest Level: 9+

Including his most famous works, such as “The Gift of the Magi” and “The Furnished Room,” this collection of forty-one O. Henry short stories demonstrates his extraordinary technical genius. 

“There are stories in everything. I’ve got some of my best yarns from park benches, lampposts, and newspaper stands.”—O. Henry

Readers the world over recognize O. Henry as the best short story writer of the early twentieth century—even today a masterful surprise at the end of a story is described as “an O. Henry twist,” and a prominent short fiction award bears his name. Widely known as a master of irony, O. Henry also displayed in his stories dazzling wordplay and a wry combination of pathos and humor. 

Cunningly arranged according to geographic location, these tales display the wide range of O. Henry’s world, from the streets of his beloved New York City to the heat of Honduras and other exotic locales. With his wonderful plot turns, unexpected climaxes, and deep insights into human nature, O. Henry’s works will live on as prime examples of the well-told tale.


Includes an Introduction by Burton Raffel
and an Afterword by Laura Furman

The social triangle
Tobin's palm
The last leaf
Schools and schools
Springtime a la carte
Best-seller
The gift of the magi
The green door
Transients in Arcadia
Brickdust row
The enchanted profile
The furnished room
Shearing the wolf
Hostages to Momus
A retrieved reformation
The higher pragmatism
Conscience in art
The ethics of pig
Jeff Peters as a personal magnet
A tempered wind
Telemachus, friend
The caballaro's way
Friends in San Rosario
The sphinx apple
The princess and the puma
A chaparral prince
The enchanted kiss
The lonesome road
The hiding of Black Bill
Hygeia at the solito
"The rose of dixie"
Cherchez la femme
The fool-killer
The moment of victory.