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Strictly Business: More Stories of the Four Million
O. Henry (1862-1910) was originally born William Sydney Porter in Greensboro, North Carolina. As a young man, he moved to Austin, Texas where he worked as a bank teller. He moved again to Houston, Texas in 1895 and became a newspaper columnist. 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.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1917
About the author
O. Henry
2,918 books1,956 followersSuch volumes as
Cabbages and Kings
(1904) and
The Four Million
(1906) collect short stories, noted for their often surprising endings, of American writer William Sydney Porter, who used the pen name O. Henry.
His biography shows where he found inspiration for his characters. His era produced their voices and his language.
Mother of three-year-old Porter died from tuberculosis. He left school at fifteen years of age and worked for five years in drugstore of his uncle and then for two years at a Texas sheep ranch.
In 1884, he went to Austin, where he worked in a real estate office and a church choir and spent four years as a draftsman in the general land office. His wife and firstborn died, but daughter Margaret survived him.
He failed to establish a small humorous weekly and afterward worked in poorly-run bank. When its accounts balanced not, people blamed and fired him.
In Houston, he worked for a few years until, ordered to stand trial for embezzlement, he fled to New Orleans and thence Honduras.
Two years later, he returned on account of illness of his wife. Apprehended, Porter served a few months more than three years in a penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio. During his incarceration, he composed ten short stories, including A Blackjack Bargainer , The Enchanted Kiss , and The Duplicity of Hargraves .
In 1899, McClure's published Whistling Dick's Christmas Story and Georgia's Ruling .
In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he sent manuscripts to New York editors. In the spring of 1902, Ainslee's Magazine offered him a regular income if he moved to New York.
In less than eight years, he became a bestselling author of collections of short stories. Cabbages and Kings came first in 1904 The Four Million, and The Trimmed Lamp and Heart of the West followed in 1907, and The Voice of the City in 1908, Roads of Destiny and Options in 1909, Strictly Business and Whirligigs in 1910 followed.
Posthumously published collections include The Gentle Grafter about the swindler, Jeff Peters; Rolling Stones , Waifs and Strays , and in 1936, unsigned stories, followed.
People rewarded other persons financially more. A Retrieved Reformation about the safe-cracker Jimmy Valentine got $250; six years later, $500 for dramatic rights, which gave over $100,000 royalties for playwright Paul Armstrong. Many stories have been made into films.
His biography shows where he found inspiration for his characters. His era produced their voices and his language.
Mother of three-year-old Porter died from tuberculosis. He left school at fifteen years of age and worked for five years in drugstore of his uncle and then for two years at a Texas sheep ranch.
In 1884, he went to Austin, where he worked in a real estate office and a church choir and spent four years as a draftsman in the general land office. His wife and firstborn died, but daughter Margaret survived him.
He failed to establish a small humorous weekly and afterward worked in poorly-run bank. When its accounts balanced not, people blamed and fired him.
In Houston, he worked for a few years until, ordered to stand trial for embezzlement, he fled to New Orleans and thence Honduras.
Two years later, he returned on account of illness of his wife. Apprehended, Porter served a few months more than three years in a penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio. During his incarceration, he composed ten short stories, including A Blackjack Bargainer , The Enchanted Kiss , and The Duplicity of Hargraves .
In 1899, McClure's published Whistling Dick's Christmas Story and Georgia's Ruling .
In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he sent manuscripts to New York editors. In the spring of 1902, Ainslee's Magazine offered him a regular income if he moved to New York.
In less than eight years, he became a bestselling author of collections of short stories. Cabbages and Kings came first in 1904 The Four Million, and The Trimmed Lamp and Heart of the West followed in 1907, and The Voice of the City in 1908, Roads of Destiny and Options in 1909, Strictly Business and Whirligigs in 1910 followed.
Posthumously published collections include The Gentle Grafter about the swindler, Jeff Peters; Rolling Stones , Waifs and Strays , and in 1936, unsigned stories, followed.
People rewarded other persons financially more. A Retrieved Reformation about the safe-cracker Jimmy Valentine got $250; six years later, $500 for dramatic rights, which gave over $100,000 royalties for playwright Paul Armstrong. Many stories have been made into films.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 13, 2026
Mostly stories set in NYC, the town where (after living in South Carolina, my home of Austin Texas, Costa Rica, and then a stint in prison) O. Henry ended up for the last (and most successful) part of his life. Referred to at the time as "the four millions", New York City was then a city that embodied late 19th and early 20th century America. It had rich, poor, Anglo, immigrant, young and old, all in a melting pot that was no small part in turning the USA into a world power economically.
The fact that rich and poor, elite and recent immigrant were so nearly cheek-by-jowl in the NYC of that time, gave O. Henry most of his opportunities for storytelling. Most often, his tales begin with a character sketch of our protagonist (or one of them), and then we see (and hear, for Henry is very good at bringing his people to life in all their not-proper-English) how they fare when they collide with something (or usually someone) outside their normal world.
One thing which I appreciate in O. Henry's tales, which makes up (in my opinion) for his definitely-not-politically-correct language, is that you cannot tell in advance who will be honorable, who will be corrupt, who will be sympathetic and who will get their comeuppance at the end of the tale. Knowing their race, age, class, country of origin, or religion tells you nothing.
This is not, to be clear, to say that his tales are in accord with modern sensibilities. But it feels far closer to sketching from life than most fiction writers today will, when (if) they are read a century from now. The New York City of then, is gone, replaced by an ever-more-expensive playground for high finance and the wealthy elite of the world. It was not always so. Read a fictional mirror held up to what it was at its peak.
The fact that rich and poor, elite and recent immigrant were so nearly cheek-by-jowl in the NYC of that time, gave O. Henry most of his opportunities for storytelling. Most often, his tales begin with a character sketch of our protagonist (or one of them), and then we see (and hear, for Henry is very good at bringing his people to life in all their not-proper-English) how they fare when they collide with something (or usually someone) outside their normal world.
One thing which I appreciate in O. Henry's tales, which makes up (in my opinion) for his definitely-not-politically-correct language, is that you cannot tell in advance who will be honorable, who will be corrupt, who will be sympathetic and who will get their comeuppance at the end of the tale. Knowing their race, age, class, country of origin, or religion tells you nothing.
This is not, to be clear, to say that his tales are in accord with modern sensibilities. But it feels far closer to sketching from life than most fiction writers today will, when (if) they are read a century from now. The New York City of then, is gone, replaced by an ever-more-expensive playground for high finance and the wealthy elite of the world. It was not always so. Read a fictional mirror held up to what it was at its peak.
October 4, 2019
ENGLISH: Twenty-three short stories by O.Henry. I liked especially two of them: "The thing's the play," and "A ramble in aphasia."
It's curious, in this book, not all the stories I most liked have an element of romance, as in other books by O.Henry I had read before.
Compared with other collections by O.Henry, I liked this one less.
ESPAÑOL: Veintitrés cuentos de O.Henry. Dos de ellos me gustaron más que los demás.
Es curioso, en este libro, uno de los que más me gustó no era nada romántico, como sí ocurría en otros libros de O.Henry que leí antes que este.
Comparada con otras colecciones de cuentos de O.Henry, esta me gustó menos.
It's curious, in this book, not all the stories I most liked have an element of romance, as in other books by O.Henry I had read before.
Compared with other collections by O.Henry, I liked this one less.
ESPAÑOL: Veintitrés cuentos de O.Henry. Dos de ellos me gustaron más que los demás.
Es curioso, en este libro, uno de los que más me gustó no era nada romántico, como sí ocurría en otros libros de O.Henry que leí antes que este.
Comparada con otras colecciones de cuentos de O.Henry, esta me gustó menos.
July 13, 2018
This is another of the set of O. Henry short stories. They are of varying quality. I enjoyed, "A Ramble in Aphasia"!
May 14, 2026
This volume is a continuation of O. Henry’s stories about NYC, following on from The Four Million and The Trimmed Lamp. It’s an uneven lot, featuring 4 or 5 gems; the rest, while not really bad, are best classed as forgettable; but O. Henry at his best is very good indeed.
By far the best story in this lot is “A Municipal Report” — oddly, the only one that is set far from New York, causing me to wonder why it was included in this set; perhaps the author knew it was just too good to leave out at the time he assembled this collection. It’s a much darker piece than almost anything else O. Henry ever wrote, revealing a depth of insight, passion and ethical heft that I wish he had delivered more frequently in his often-trivial stories. Two other stories here of particular merit are “Compliments of the Season” and “The Fifth Wheel,” both of which explore one of O. Henry’s favorite themes: encounters between the privileged and the underclass in the great city.
When he chose to do so, O H was quite capable of elevating his prose well beyond his usual breezy cleverness. In “The Venturers,” he addresses his protagonist’s yearning for an escape from the everyday:
Fortune, Chance and Adventure are given as synonymous in the dictionaries. To the knowing, each has a different meaning. Fortune is a prize to be won. Adventure is the road to it. Chance is what may lurk in the shadows at the roadside…
Something might happen there out of the routine—he might come upon a subject without a predicate, a road without an end, a question without an answer, a cause without an effect, a gulf stream in life’s salt ocean.
By far the best story in this lot is “A Municipal Report” — oddly, the only one that is set far from New York, causing me to wonder why it was included in this set; perhaps the author knew it was just too good to leave out at the time he assembled this collection. It’s a much darker piece than almost anything else O. Henry ever wrote, revealing a depth of insight, passion and ethical heft that I wish he had delivered more frequently in his often-trivial stories. Two other stories here of particular merit are “Compliments of the Season” and “The Fifth Wheel,” both of which explore one of O. Henry’s favorite themes: encounters between the privileged and the underclass in the great city.
When he chose to do so, O H was quite capable of elevating his prose well beyond his usual breezy cleverness. In “The Venturers,” he addresses his protagonist’s yearning for an escape from the everyday:
Fortune, Chance and Adventure are given as synonymous in the dictionaries. To the knowing, each has a different meaning. Fortune is a prize to be won. Adventure is the road to it. Chance is what may lurk in the shadows at the roadside…
Something might happen there out of the routine—he might come upon a subject without a predicate, a road without an end, a question without an answer, a cause without an effect, a gulf stream in life’s salt ocean.
on-pause
November 10, 2023just read proof of the pudding and couldn't find it on goodreads so here we are
1) Strictly Business
2) The Gold that Glittered
3) Babes in the Jungle
4) The Day Restaurant
5) The Fifth Wheel
6) The Poet and the Peasant
7) The Robe of Peace
8) The Girl and the Graft
9) The Call of the Tame
10) The Unknown Quantity
11) The Thing's the Play
12) A Ramble in Aphasia
13) A Municipal Report
14) Psyche and the Pskyscraper
15) A Bird of Bagdad
16) Compliments of the Season
17) A Night in New Arabia
18) The Girl and the Habit
19) Proof of the Pudding (read 11/10/2023)
20) Past One at Rooney's
21) The Venturers
22) The Duel
23) "What You Want"
1) Strictly Business
2) The Gold that Glittered
3) Babes in the Jungle
4) The Day Restaurant
5) The Fifth Wheel
6) The Poet and the Peasant
7) The Robe of Peace
8) The Girl and the Graft
9) The Call of the Tame
10) The Unknown Quantity
11) The Thing's the Play
12) A Ramble in Aphasia
13) A Municipal Report
14) Psyche and the Pskyscraper
15) A Bird of Bagdad
16) Compliments of the Season
17) A Night in New Arabia
18) The Girl and the Habit
19) Proof of the Pudding (read 11/10/2023)
20) Past One at Rooney's
21) The Venturers
22) The Duel
23) "What You Want"
September 6, 2024
Raised as most of us were and one or two stories byO. Henry, most prominently “the gift of the magi “I was hopeful for some magic in these 1911 stories but was disappointed. They are drowned to some extent in their own cleverness and the vernacular of the turn of the century New York City wise guy. Casual racism is of course all over the pages as is misogyny characteristic of the time. The stories are mostly about white men and have a formulaic highly repetitive structure that becomes wearisome dressed as it is in New York slang of the age. I have not read yet The other nine volumes of his collected stories but I now know why about the only one anyone remembers is the Gift of the Magi.
February 14, 2026
STRICTLY BUSINESS: MORE STORIES OF THE FOUR MILLION by O. Henry -- This is the second volume of O. Henry's THE FOUR MILLION collection of short stories related to New York City and its citizens. Four million was the population of NYC when published in 1906. These stories involve a variety of characters and situations but are less successful than the first volume simply titled THE FOUR MILLION. O. Henry manages to often blend the qualities of misery and humor within the characters and plots, more successfully in his first volume. The language is from an earlier time, but is not a deterrent to the telling. Available as a free read or download on the Internet.
April 22, 2021
I continue listening to the published collections of O. Henry’s short stories while driving. They are ideal for the car as they tend to be truly short and easy to follow. O. Henry is always witty in his style, but these stories from later in his career seem to lack some of his energy (this collection was published the year that he died). None of them are among the better known stories that I was already familiar with, and none of them particularly grabbed my attention. Chalk this collection up to being simply a pleasant diversion.
January 24, 2025
Half of the short stories on this collection were typical O Henry. They finished with twists that left you thinking about the ending and what might have happened afterwards. The other half of the stories seemed like jokes missing a punchline. So that is why I’m giving this collection three stars.
January 30, 2020
More of the same — wordy, clever, sardonic, colorful.
February 14, 2021
Very popular in America a century ago, so I wondered if Buchan's character Blenkiron read him. Maybe it was this that drove him to playing patience.
April 30, 2021
I enjoyed the well known style of O. Henry, I liked some of the stories here and loved one, but most of them were too philosophical for my taste.
March 22, 2025
I ❤NY!
O. Henry is quintessential New York storyteller. His short stories are quick reads, but they pack a punch. And they always have a touch of heart and romance.
O. Henry is quintessential New York storyteller. His short stories are quick reads, but they pack a punch. And they always have a touch of heart and romance.
Want to Read
August 5, 2012Henry, O.
The Complete Works of O. Henry
In compilation only.
1) Strictly Business
2) The Gold that Glittered
3) Babes in the Jungle
4) The Day Restaurant
5) The Fifth Wheel
6) The Poet and the Peasant
7) The Robe of Peace
8) The Girl and the Graft
9) The Call of the Tame
10) The Unknown Quantity
11) The Thing's the Play
12) A Ramble in Aphasia
13) A Municipal Report
14) Psyche and the Pskyscraper
15) A Bird of Bagdad
16) Compliments of the Season
17) A Night in New Arabia
18) The Girl and the Habit
19) Proof of the Pudding
20) Past One at Rooney's
21) The Venturers
22) The Duel
23) "What You Want"
The Complete Works of O. Henry
In compilation only.
1) Strictly Business
2) The Gold that Glittered
3) Babes in the Jungle
4) The Day Restaurant
5) The Fifth Wheel
6) The Poet and the Peasant
7) The Robe of Peace
8) The Girl and the Graft
9) The Call of the Tame
10) The Unknown Quantity
11) The Thing's the Play
12) A Ramble in Aphasia
13) A Municipal Report
14) Psyche and the Pskyscraper
15) A Bird of Bagdad
16) Compliments of the Season
17) A Night in New Arabia
18) The Girl and the Habit
19) Proof of the Pudding
20) Past One at Rooney's
21) The Venturers
22) The Duel
23) "What You Want"
Want to Read
August 19, 2025Read so far:
*Strictly Business --
The Gold That Glittered --
*Babes In The Jungle --
*The Day Resurgent --
*The Fifth Wheel --
*The Poet and The Peasant --
The Robe of Peace --
*The Girl and the Graft --
*The Call of the Tame --
The Unknown Quantity --
*The Thing's the Play --
*A Ramble In Aphasia --
A Municipal Report --3
*Psyche and the Pskyscraper --
The Bird of Bagdad --
*Compliments of the Season --
*A Night in New Arabia --
The Girl and The Habit --
*Proof of the Pudding --
*Past One at Rooney's --
*The Venturers --
The Duel --3
What You Want --
*Strictly Business --
The Gold That Glittered --
*Babes In The Jungle --
*The Day Resurgent --
*The Fifth Wheel --
*The Poet and The Peasant --
The Robe of Peace --
*The Girl and the Graft --
*The Call of the Tame --
The Unknown Quantity --
*The Thing's the Play --
*A Ramble In Aphasia --
A Municipal Report --3
*Psyche and the Pskyscraper --
The Bird of Bagdad --
*Compliments of the Season --
*A Night in New Arabia --
The Girl and The Habit --
*Proof of the Pudding --
*Past One at Rooney's --
*The Venturers --
The Duel --3
What You Want --
Read
September 26, 2011O. Henry is really, really fond of the word "eleemosynary".
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews