O. Henry was the pseudonym for William Sydney Porter, master of the short story. His empathy ran deep and he wrote in the language of the man in the street.

In March of 1898 he was sentenced to five years in the federal penitentiary. During his term he began his serious writing. He would use a score of pseudonyms in his career to this point, but his favorite was borrowed from Orrin Henry, a prison guard.

O. Henry's popularity reached its height after his death. His writing was seen as straightforward and simple, written in the plain vernacular of his readers. His stories may rely on a sameness of plot, but the sharp, unexpected twist at the end is still his distinctive trademark today. Critics have singled out O. Henry as one of the greatest American short story writers - describing him as a "writer's writer" who also possesses universal appeal. A critic traveling early in the century fell into a conversation with a Midwest farmer. When asked if he ever read O. Henry, the farmer replied, "Professor, that's literature, that's real literature."

This inspired adaptation breathes new life into the beloved and classic tale by prolific American writer O. Henry.

This WISP presents O. Henry's classic Christmas tale, The Gift of the Magi, along with The Purple Dress, a story about a young lady who makes a personal sacrifice for the sake of her friend's happiness at a holiday party. Bringing these stories to life are the wondrous illustrations of Chris Raschka, a highly acclaimed illustrator, whose delightful artwork perfectly matches the tale. GIFT OF THE MAGI is sure to attract readers familiar with O. Henry's timeless holiday tales, as well as introduce a new generation of readers to his charming work.

These one–of–a–kind, attractively priced and invitingly formatted illustrated editions will make a great impulse buy, appealing to audiences of all ages.

Features

Table of Contents

List of Works by Genre
List of Works in Alphabetical Order
O. Henry Biography
About and Navigation

List of Works by Genre

Short Stories :: Short Stories Collections

Short Stories
Gentle Grafter illustrated
Rolling Stones illustrated

Short Stories Collections
Cabbages and Kings
The Four Million
Heart of the West
Options
Roads of Destiny
Sixes and Sevens
Strictly Business
The Trimmed Lamp
The Voice of the City
Waifs and Strays
Whirligigs

This series, Bloom’s Major Short Story Writers, is edited by Harold Bloom, Sterling Professor of the Humanities, Yale University; Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Professor of English, New York University Graduate School; preeminent literary critic of our time. The world’s most prominent writers of short stories are covered in one series with expert analysis by Bloom and other critics. These titles contain a wealth of information on the writers and short stories that are most commonly read in high schools, colleges, and universities.

In 1896, however, he was called back to Austin, where he was charged with embezzling money from the bank where he had worked. Not wanting to go to prison for his crime, O. Henry fled to Honduras, and stayed there for six months before returning to the United States.

Upon his return, the court tried him and put him in an Ohio prison for three years. While in prison, he began writing short stories and it is there that he took the pen-name O. Henry for his writings.

After his release from prison in 1901, he moved to New York, which is the setting for many of his stories. He is the author of over 250 stories and is most famous for his use of surprise or 'twist' endings. Notice the twists and surprises in the endings to "The Last Leaf", "The Green Door", and perhaps his most famous story, "The Gift of the Magi".

Honors were now coming to O. Henry from everywhere. The poet laureate of England, John Masefield, visited Will and said that Rudyard Kipling, himself successful with the short story, wanted the poet to say hello for him. Willa Cather, then an editor but already writing novels, admired his work. William James, the famous philosopher at Harvard, was recommending O. Henry's books to his students. Mabell Wagnalls of the dictionary publishing family became a dear friend and introduced Will to high society.

At this time, poor health robbed his stamina. Despite the doctors orders, O. Henry could not stop drinking. He complained of constant fatigue. At night he couldn't sleep. He lost his appetite. Only malted milks pleased him. But no matter how ill, he made it his business to pass down familiar streets where old friends, depending on his unfailing charity, waited for him.

During this time two more books were published. Both were 1910 volumes. Strictly Business, praised by historians for its authentic sociology of derelict life, featured "A Municipal Report, " which has appeared in anthologies of short stories more often than any other story written in America. In this tale O. Henry demonstrates perfect management of picturesque dialect and sharp descriptive detail. His figures, Casesar, the black cabby, and Major Caswell, the professional Southern bore, are full of humanity.

READ-ALONG RADIO DRAMA KITS are literature units for the reading/ language arts classroom. The kit includes: A CD recording of the radio play with full cast and sound effects; A word-for-word read-along script; Duplication rights for word-for-word script and student activity sheets; Ready-to-use student activity sheets (Cloze Activity, Sequence Activity, Vocabulary Activities, Literal Comprehension Activity, Listening Skills Activity, Crossword Puzzles, A list of Writing/Discussion Questions); A literary terms study packet; Teaching suggestions w/answer keys; Strategies for teaching read-along in the secondary classroom; An annotated script of the original story; A sample lesson plan; Using Read-Along Radio Dramas. (Ransom of Red Chief Read-Along Radio Drama is recommended for grades 5 through adult. CD recording length 28 min.)