The Four Million

‘There are stories in everything. I‘ve got some of my best yarns from park benches, lampposts, and newspaper stands.‘ The second collection of short stories by O. Henry, The Four Million is a moving, witty response to a contemporary newspaper editorial which claimed there are only four hundred people in New York worth knowing. O. Henry fervently disagreed. First published in 1906, The Four Million consists of twenty-five moving short stories based in New York. Each tale showcases the lives of seemingly ordinary people – clerks, waiters, con artists and more – with irony, humour and warmth. From a charming exploration of love with ‘The Gift of the Magi‘ to a tragic tale of friendship in ‘After Twenty Years‘, The Four Million compellingly conveys the unique breadth of the human experience. A brilliant collection of character sketches, O. Henry reminds us how everyone has a story worth telling. O. Henry (1862 – 1920), otherwise known as William Sydney Porter, was an American writer. Best known for his short stories, Henry also dabbled in poetry and non-fiction, and is famed for his naturalist style, wit and unexpected endings.