The Four Million: The Gift of the Magi and Other Short Stories

by O. Henry

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467775427
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/01/2014
Series:	First Avenue Classics
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	184
File size:	968 KB
Age Range:	12 - 13 Years

About the Author

O. Henry was the pen name of William Sydney Porter (1862-1910) was a prolific American short story writer. Initially trained as a pharmacist, Porter began his writing career as a journalist and worked on his stories on the side. After being accused of embezzling money from a bank he worked for, he fled to Honduras. He returned to the US upon the death of his wife and was sentenced to five years in prison. It was during this time that he began to have his first stories published. He later moved to New York and began writing stories in earnest. Some of his most famous stories include "Gift of the Magi" and "The Caballero's Way" which introduced the character, the Cisco Kid.