Showing results by author "O Henry" in All Categories

William Sydney Porter was born on 11th September 1862 in Greensboro, North Carolina. At age 3 his mother died from tuberculosis. From an early age it was clear Porter had a large appetite for reading as he absorbed the world around him. He was a member of several singing and dramatic groups when he met 17 year old Athol Estes, daughter of a wealthy Austin family. Despite her mother’s objection owing to Athol’s tuberculosis, they began courting and in July 1887, they eloped and soon married.

Thirty little gems by some of the world's great classic short story writers, including: 'The Flying Man' by H. G. Wells, 'Between Rounds' by O. Henry, 'A School Story' by M. R. James, 'A Pair of Silk Stockings' by Kate Chopin, 'A Deal in Ostriches' by H. G. Wells, 'The Piano Next Door' by Elia W. Peattie, 'Royal Visitors' by E. F. Benson, 'The Stolen Bacillus' by H. G. Wells, 'The Story of Chugoro' by Lafcadio Hearn, 'One Law for the Rich' by Stacy Aumonier, 'My Enemy and Myself' by Vincent O'Sullivan and more.

"Rieducazione con scasso" è un racconto breve pubblicato per la prima volta sul giornale Cosmopolitan nel 1903. Descrive il rientro in società del giovani rapinatore Jimmy Valentine. Nel 1910 il drammaturgo Paul Armstrong riadattò la storia in uno spettacolo teatrale di grande successo a Broadway, intitolato "Aliam Jimmy Valentine", successivamente trasformato in 3 diversi film nel 1915, 1920 e 1928. Il protagonista è ispirato all'incidente descritto ne "I Miserabili di Hugo". La storia fu inoltre adattata in una radio serie nel 1938.

The Last Leaf is an endearing story about many forms of love and our interdependency upon one another and most importantly ourselves. In it a young woman dying from pneumonia despite the best efforts of her loving roommate, a doctor, and a mature resident in the building who has appointed himself guardian to the young lady and her housemate, soon learns that she is the key to her own life or death and in that discovery she helps a friend rise to their true greatness.

Bill Driscoll and Sam (we never learn his last name), a pair of turn-of-the-20th-century con men embark on quite an adventure. The pair need $2,000.00 to pull off a fraudulent town-lot scam in Western Illinois. They decide to kidnap the only son of a prominent Alabama citizen in the small town of Summit. They should've known when they grabbed their target, who was at the time throwing stones at a kitten, that it would be best to leave him alone. Particularly after he beans Bill with a brick. The situation does not improve with time. O Henry, famous for his humor, plays on words, and plot twists makes this a highly amusing short story.

"The Ransom of Red Chief" may be the most widely read story in grammar, middle, and high school. Young people can relate to 10-year-old Red Chief, his father, who makes the kidnappers pay him back in order to take Red Chief off their hands....

This is a story from the More Classic American Short Stories collection.

Azt hiszem, a kutya az egyike az ember legsikeresebb háziasítási kísérleteinek. Amióta szolgálatunkba léptek, a legsokoldalúbb barátaink. Társaságot nyújtanak, mikor erre van szükségünk vigasztalnak. Rendőrkutyaként kiszimatolják a bűnt, és szemévé lesznek azoknak, akik nem látnak. Őrzik tulajdonunkat, százféle módon vigyáznak ránk. Ezek a történetek ékesen bizonyítják, milyen hihetetlenül sokoldalú és elbűvölő állatok.

A collection of 40 classic short stories which carry a huge punch, from the great classic authors: Oscar Wilde, Saki, Kate Chopin, Edgar Allan Poe, O. Henry, Banjo Paterson, W. W. Jacobs, Guy de Maupassant and many more great names. Look forward to the train being delayed, friends turning up late, walking the dog round the block, ironing that shirt... 10-minute slots need never be wasted time again!

A thrilling volume of short stories featuring great storytellers such as O.Henry, Edith Wharton and M.R. James to keep you on the edge of you seat.

Listeners are invited to sit back and enjoy this collection of classic Yuletide tales....

Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author’s brain, their soul and heart. They can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere. Some you may disagree with but they will get you thinking; about our choices and about those you would have made. If this volume takes you on a path to discover more of these miniature masterpieces then we have all gained something.

In this adaptation of The Gift of the Magi, Laura and David want to buy Christmas presents for each other, but they don't have the money. We follow Laura as figures out a way to buy David a present he'll truly love, and we learn how love and selflessness come to the forefront during the holidays.

William Sidney Porter, or O. Henry as he is better known, spent his formative years in Texas. No wonder one of America's best-loved story tellers picked a vagabond like "Curly" to understand, the hard way, what the law of the West really means.

O. Henry was the pen name of William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), an American writer of outstanding short stories, known for their wit, wordplay, warm characterization, and surprise endings. This collection contains twelve of his best loved tales: 1. 'The Cactus' 2. 'The Gift of the Magi' 3. 'One Thousand Dollars' 4. 'The Marionettes' 5. 'The Furnished Room' 6. 'The Unknown Quantity' 7. 'Memoirs of a Yellow Dog' 8. 'The Venturers' 9. 'The Ransom of Red Chief '10. 'The Last Leaf '11. 'The Cop and the Anthem' 12. T'he Clarion Call'

O. Henry was the pen name of William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), an American writer of outstanding short stories, known for their wit, wordplay, warm characterization, and surprise endings.The Clarion Call tells of the chance encounter between two old childhood friends. One, Kernan, is now a burglar who three weeks ago committed his first murder. The other, Woods, is a New York detective. Woods is faced with a terrible dilemma....

"The Caballero's Way" is a short story by the American author O. Henry. It was first published in the July 1907 issue of Everybody's Magazine and was collected in the anthology The Heart of the West later the same year. The story introduces the Cisco Kid, a fast-shooting caballero who murders for sport. Lieutenant Sandridge, a ranger who is after the outlaw, goes to see Tonia, the beautiful girlfriend of the Kid. They fall in love, and Tonia begs Sandridge to kill the Kid in order to ensure their safety. Unbeknownst to the lovers, the Kid overhears their plan.

Narrator Nigel Hawthorne's exceptional talents as an actor bring comedy to the fore in this collection, extracting every nuance of humour from these seven great stories. Featuring "Brugglesmith" by Rudyard Kipling, "The Cricket Match" (from England, Their England) by A.G. Macdonell, "Reginald on House Parties" by Saki, "Winglebury Duel" by Charles Dickens, and more.

All over the world, O. Henry, one of the most famous pen names in history, stands for the very best in short-story writing. This audiobook includes 24 of his stories.

Here are three of the most wonderful Christmas stories ever written, presented for you along with two short pieces that just can't be left out of any Christmas collection worth its salt.