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100 Selected Stories (Wordsworth Classics) (Wadsworth Collection)

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O. Henry began writing short stories as a prison inmate, and he quickly fine tuned his skills behind the bars and developed into an excellent story-teller.

The distinctive characteristic of O. Henry's short stories is the ironic twist at the end, which never fails to surprise and entertain. O. Henry's suspense and trademark ironic twist ensures that readers who have a good literary taste in short stories will not be disappointed.

These stories were written in the first half of the twentieth century, and O. Henry's use of language far surpasses that of most contemporary writers.

His stories also demonstrate his unique insight into the social conditions of his time.

This collection is superlative, because it consists of 100 stories, more than 400 pages, and is offered by Amazon.com at an excellent price! Don't pass up on this one!

A collection of 100 or more short stories by O. Henry? My mouth waters already! It's hard to imagine any literary treat that can be enjoyed in small doses more pleasurable than this. I have spent over a year savouring these stories, reading them one by one, tasting his delightful choice of words, digesting his fascinating story-lines, and the warm satisfying afterglow that comes after a typical twist at the end. His stories are superbly outstanding in at least four ways, each illustrated with five of my personal favorites.

Firstly, his brilliant use of language. These stories were written in the first half of the twentieth century, and O. Henry's use of language easily surpasses that of most contemporary writers. Not only does he have an extensive vocabulary, but his writing abounds with similes and metaphors that breathe sparkling life and depth into his stories. "Ulysses and the Dogman" is a fine example of his skills with a language, metaphorically portraying dog owners as victims of Circe, in a hopeless enchantment to their leashed pets. Also exemplary is "Madame Bo-Peep of the Ranches" where a ranch manager has a heart fenced by barbwire just like the ranch on which he lives, and yet the twist at the ending suggests that perhaps we were completely mistaken. "A Comedy in Rubber" uses wonderfully elevated language to farcically portray a class of people today known as ambulance chasers. And "Sisters of the Golden Circle" revolves around the profound bond that exists between two married women who are strangers but yet sisters "of the plain gold band." "An Unfinished Story" employs profound metaphors of angelic hosts to tell the tragic story of poor Dulcie's struggle for survival.

Secondly, his unique insight into the social conditions of his time. O. Henry has a great understanding of the trials of the lower class, frequently picturing the lives of ordinary people of early twentieth century America with sympathetic colours. His characters are frequently the overlooked: the struggling shop girl, the unsuccessful artist, the impoverished. Admittedly, some of his images can be hard to comprehend for modern readers, and the distance that time has placed between us and O. Henry's beloved New York means that some of his verbal pictures will be harder to identify with. But his genuine sympathy for the oppressed cannot be missed. "The Gift of the Magi" is the signature O. Henry story, probably his most famous tale which recounts a poor young couple who both give up a prized possession in order to purchase a gift for one another - but ironically a gift intended to complement the other's prized possession that they have just given up. Another story which displays his ability to picture the social conditions of his time is "The Pendulum", a wonderful portrait of the daily routines of an poor couple and the bursting anxiety of a married man, until the bubble bursts. "The Cop and the Anthem" was the first O. Henry story I ever read, and humorously recounts the unsuccessful attempts of a man to get into jail for the winter. "The Furnished Room" is a tragic and shocking story of suicide, depicting the depths of despair and desperation of the impoverished.

Thirdly, his warm humour. O. Henry has an uncanny ability to portray the mundane and the ordinary in the most elevated language. Frequently he pits two characters together in a remarkable way so that one outshines and complements the other. On other occasions he crafts the most ingenious and humorous schemes for outwitting others. One of his most popular stories is "The Handbook of Hymen", the tale of two men in a winter cabin, one armed with the hilarious Herkimer's handbook of Indispensable Information. And then there's Jeff Peters, a man who comes with the most ingenious money-making schemes, two shining examples displayed in "Jeff Peters as a Personal Magnet" and "The Exact Science of Matrimony". "Let Me Feel Your Pulse" pokes fun at doctors, while in "Next to Reading Matter" an overly eloquent character wins the heart of a senora with streams of articulate talk about the mundane.

Fourthly, his ironic twist. One of the distinctive characteristics of O. Henry's short stories is the ironic twist at the end, which never fails to surprise and entertain, sometimes reversing the entire story line in a concluding one-liner. O. Henry's suspense and trademark ironic twist ensures that readers who have a good literary taste in short stories will not be disappointed. Like the Jeff Peters stories, "The Love-philtre of Ikey Schoenstein" also feature a brilliant scheme, and the way the romantic scheme backfires is unforgettable. Other delightful examples of the glorious ironic twist include "Witches' Loaves" and "While the Auto Waits". The twist that comes at the end of "The Hypotheses of Failure" is so perplexing, that you'll have to re-read the entire story after reading the ending - but completely delighted at the way in which O. Henry has misled you. Perhaps one of O. Henry's best uses of the ironic twist comes in "The Last Leaf", a warm and tragic tale describing how a dying artist proves as resilient as the last leaf on the wall outside, and through the self-less sacrifice of another.

The Wordsworth collection is superlative, because it contains more than 700 pages of literary gems. It consists of 100 stories, showcasing a wide range of O. Henry's short-story talents. A few popular favorites are missing, such as "Schools and Schools", "Shearing the Wolf", "The Green Door", and "The Pimienta Pancakes." But the reality is that nearly all O. Henry's stories feature his trademark ironic twist, as they do his warm humour, his unique insight into the social conditions of the time, and his brilliant use of language, and that every story in this collection is a literary delight worthy of inclusion. The inaccessibility of some references for modern readers does not prevent these stories from being always entertaining and enduring! Don't pass up on these!

I was surprised upon rereading O. Henry to discover more insight into human situation and character than I had thought of before. The image of a superficial maker of slight superficial gimmick stories was somehow in my mind, and it proved wholly wrong. Linguistic inventiveness, a strong narrative gift, a power to see into various kinds of human situation, warm human sympathy and of course , frequent humor, are found in his stories.

i have been waiting for this publication a long time on amazon, as it was out of stock. it covers a lot of stories and i could not find similar book anywhere. finally amazon made it possible ! in addition this book has nomal print size and acceptable cover.

William Sydney Porter (1862-1910) was born into middle class life in Greensboro North Carolina. The family fell on hard times and he became a pharmacist and bank clerk. He served three years in the Ohio State Penitentary for embzzelment. (he was probably innocent) and began writing short stories and a few novels. The pen name "O Henry" was taken from "Ohio State Penitentary." He lived in many places from the South to Texas to New York City. He suffered from alcoholism, liver disease and diabetes losing his first wife and child. His second marriage was not happy. O Henry was a complex and gifted writer who is a true American original whose books have been in print for over 100 years.
Penguin has published a handsome edition of 80 of the master's tales including a fine introduction by Dr. Guy Davenport. O Henry is best known for the "twist" he gives at the end of his stories tying up all the plot threads and sometimes surprising the reader!
The stories cover everything from life in turn of the century New York to life in the American West to travels abroad in Latin America. The most famous story in the Penguin collection is "The Ransom of Red Chief" which deals with a mischevious young man who drives his kidnappers to distraction! Several stories deal with the adventures of con man Jeff Peters. The stories are sentimental dealing with love, adventure and the quest to make a dollar. Many of the them contain dialect. I object to the African-American dialect the author uses. He is condescending to African-Americans. This puts him in his place, time and culture.
O Henry is not everyone's cup of tea but he will provide the reader with many short and interesting tales told by a narrator adept in comedy, unusual predicaments and a loving sympathy for the human condition.

This volume contains a generous selection of the altogether delicious servings of O. Henry's writings. One can never over-indulge in this fare.

I've never read O Henry before so I thought it might be fun to give him a go. Initially, I was taken aback by the use of period vernacular and found the language a distraction to the stories. Also, some of the stories seemed naive from today's perspective. On the other hand, for the reader who wants a feel for the period (early 1900's) and enjoys short, quick stories that can be tucked into gaps common to normal everyday life, this collection is great. Although these 100 stories will probably be my only exposure to O Henry, I now understand how he developed a following that lasted over a century.

What an excellent book! I recommend it all who love short-story works