Best of O. Henry, The: Literary Touchstone Classic

This Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Classic includes a glossary and reader's notes to help the modern reader contend with O. Henry's vocabulary and perspectives on life. ONE OF AMERICA'S premier short story writers, O. Henry (William Sydney Porter) has long been considered the master of the surprise ending, and his stories are renowned for their portrayal of life in New York City at the beginning of the twentieth century. More than 600 of these vignettes were published during his lifetime, and hundreds more were anthologized after his death in 1910. This collection contains not only many of his most celebrated stories, but also a few that are not quite so well known. O. Henry's depiction of his characters and their unique situations-from self-sacrificing Della, to Hetty, the clever friend, to Soapy, the unluckiest man alive-continues to weave their magic over readers almost a hundred years after the author created them.