The Four Million: The Gift of the Magi and Other Short Stories
O. Henry
Aug 2014 · First Avenue Editions ™
Ebook
184
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About this ebook
This collection of twenty-five short stories includes some of O. Henry's finest works. The book title, The Four Million, is attributed to the population of New York City in the early 1900s, and many of the stories are set there. O. Henry's empathetic tales give names and faces to everyday people, bearing out his belief that everyone is worth noticing. The collection includes one of his most famous stories, "The Gift of the Magi." The poignant piece tells of a young, poor couple who try to come up with surprise Christmas presents for each other, even though neither can afford much. This is an unabridged version of the American author's short story collection, which was first published in 1906.
About the author
O. Henry is the pen name of William Sidney Porter, who was born on September 11, 1862 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Porter was a licensed pharmacist and worked on a sheep ranch in Texas. He was a draftsman for the General Land Office and a teller for the First National Bank of Texas. He was convicted of embezzlement and eventually served five years in prison. While in prison, he began writing short stories under his pseudonym and eventually wrote over 300. As O. Henry, Porter is one of America's best known writers, and his stories, such as "The Gift of the Magi" and "The Ransom of Red Chief", are still taught in schools. In 1918, the O. Henry Awards, an annual anthology of short stories, was established in his honor. Porter died on June 5, 1910.
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