The Gift of the Magi

by O. Henry, Marty Jones (Illustrator)

Overview

"The Gift of the Magi" an illustrated short story, originally written by O. Henry. It tells about a young married couple named Jim and Della and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each when they have more love than money.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781518613630
Publisher:	CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date:	10/26/2015
Pages:	36
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.09(d)

About the Author

I don't remember a time that I didn't draw; I began drawing "seriously" in High School and intended to become a Technical Illustrator. Lack of planning and foresight led me to a degree in Architecture, instead of an education in Art. Further distractions, such as "lack of work" led me to an eight-year career in construction; further distractions, such as "lack of work" led me to a career with the City of Portland as a Building Plans Examiner, from which I 'retired' with a medical layoff in 1998. But the dream never died... I've been a free-lance commercial artist and designer for over 30 years. During my college years I exhibited my artwork in a number of non-juried shows, but found little time for "serious" illustration until 1988, when a ruptured appendix and a brush with death caused me to re-evaluate my goals and priorities. I realized that my future wasn't as predictable as it appeared; and that God has given me a talent He intended to be used for the benefit of others. I then decided it was time to get "serious" about my career as an illustrator.
My 'body of work' is fairly eclectic in its nature, and isn't specifically geared toward one type of illustration; however, all of my illustrations are realistically-styled. My preferred media is digitally-colored graphite.
As of this writing, I've illustrated seven children's books, created numerous illustrations for a variety of clients; including Steiner Korea, Scholastic Inc. and the Yellowstone Park Foundation. Over the years I have created a large number of wildlife drawings and a numerous portraits. I also create Architectural and Technical illustrations.
In 2015 I added digital publishing to my business; publishing four titles this year.

Editorial Reviews

"Lisbeth Zwerger's biting line and soft, evocative palette illuminate the characters with an aura of gaslit nobility, and burnish an antique until it shines."

"Time"

From the Publisher

2013-10-02
The sentimental short story is presented in an elegant edition with moody illustrations reminiscent of antique sepia photographs. The story, first published as a book in 1906, is rather flowery and wordy, with old-fashioned constructions such as "the silent imputation of parsimony." The plot revolves around a young couple, Della and Jim, who live a Spartan life in their tiny flat. Each wants to buy a special Christmas gift for the other, but there is only a little money for presents. Della sells her beautiful, knee-length hair to buy a watch chain for Jim's prized pocket watch, but at the same time, Jim sells his watch to buy a set of hair combs for Della. They realize that their love for each other is their real gift that they must treasure. The oversized, full-page illustrations are in muted shades of browns and grays, with the only touch of color in Della's muted, rose-colored blouse and complementary roses in the Art Nouveau style decorating each page of text. Each rose is larger than the one preceding, and the stylized flowers are repeated in elegant endpapers printed with twining roses and vines. Though the story is long and of another era, Henry's touching account of young love at Christmas has an enduring appeal. (Picture book. 10 & up)

Kirkus Reviews