With East Side tenements, Wall Street offices, and Fifth Avenue as their backdrops, these colorful tales by a master storyteller recount the dreams and passions of New Yorkers at the turn of the twentieth century. As O. Henry, William Sydney Porter (1862-1910) wrote more than 600 short stories, many of them situated amid the bustle of Manhattan. This collection presents 23 of his best, offering an abundance of wit and irony along with his trademark surprise endings.
Selections include "The Duel," in which the author explains that every transplant to New York City must either conquer or be conquered by the metropolis; "What You Want," an exploration of whether or not money can buy happiness; and "Proof of the Pudding," a test of the most realistic way to respond to bad news. Coincidence and fate figure prominently in these moving narratives, which are marked by their keenly observed details and peopled by memorable characters whose dialogue is rich in zesty slang.
The New York Stories of O. Henry
Description
Table of Contents
I. STRICTLY BUSINESS
II. THE GOLD THAT GLITTERED
III. BABES IN THE JUNGLE
IV. THE DAY RESURGENT
V. THE FIFTH WHEEL
VI. THE POET AND THE PEASANT
VII. THE ROBE OF PEACE
VIII. THE GIRL AND THE GRAFT
IX. THE CALL OF THE TAME
X. THE UNKNOWN QUANTITY
XI. THE THING'S THE PLAY
XII. A RAMBLE IN APHASIA
XIII. A MUNICIPAL REPORT
XIV. PSYCHE AND THE PSKYSCRAPBB
XV. A BIRD OF BAGDAD
XVI. COMPLIMENTS OF THE SEASON
XVII. A NIGHT IN NEW ARABIA
XVIII. THE GIRL AND THE HABIT
XIX. PROOF OF THE PUDDING
XX. PAST ONE AT ROONEY'S
XXI. THE VENTURERS
XXII. THE DUEL
XXIII." WHAT YOU WANT"
Author Description
William Sydney Porter (1862-1910) wrote more than 600 short stories under the pen name of O. Henry. Convicted of embezzlement from his employer (the First National Bank of Austin, Texas), he served three years of a five-year sentence, during which he wrote many of the tales that appear in this collection.