O. Henry

Table of Contents

Introduction & Top Questions Quotes References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

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Watch the dramatic irony unfold in a film adaptation of O. Henry's classic short story “The Gift of the Magi”

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Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”

Chapter 4 pg 42 - Chapter header of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Published in 1884 by The American Publishing Company

Periods of American Literature

Girl Reading On Turquoise Couch

9 American Countercultural Books

Discover

An ancient egyptian hieroglyphic painted carving showing the falcon headed god Horus seated on a throne and holding a golden fly whisk. Before him are the Pharoah Seti and the goddess Isis. Interior wall of the temple to Osiris at Abydos, Egypt.

11 Egyptian Gods and Goddesses

Thanksgiving Turkey with all the sides

Why Do We Eat Turkey on Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving Celebration Traditional Dinner Setting Food Concept

Why Is Thanksgiving in the U.S. Celebrated on a Thursday?

Diverse elementary school children wearing school uniforms running outside of school. Boys girls

Pro and Con: School Uniforms

Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”

A human Inuit skull in a stone chambered cairn in Ilulissat in Greenland. These ancient graves are pre christian and are at least 2000

14 Tough Questions Answered

Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 9th Mechanized Division learning to operate and maintain M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks at Besmaya Combat Training Center, Baghdad, Iraq, 2011. Military training. Iraq war. U.S. Army

8 Deadliest Wars of the 21st Century

O. Henry: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	William Sydney Porter
Born	September 11, 1862 • Greensboro • North Carolina
Died	June 5, 1910 (aged 47) • New York City • New York
Notable Works	“Heart of the West” • “Houston Post, Postscripts” • “Letters to Lithopolis” • “O. Henry Encore” • “O. Henryana” • “Roads of Destiny” • “Sixes and Sevens” • “Strictly Business” • “The Four Million” • “The Furnished Room” • “The Gift of the Magi” • “The Last Leaf” • “The Ransom of Red Chief” • “The Trimmed Lamp” • “The Voice of the City” • “Waifs and Strays” • “Whirligigs”
Movement / Style	local colour

Photos and Videos

Watch the dramatic irony unfold in a film adaptation of O. Henry's classic short story “The Gift of the Magi”

See All Videos and Images →

Mark Twain

Mark Twain

American writer

Harte

Bret Harte

American writer

Sarah Orne Jewett

Sarah Orne Jewett

American writer

Joel Chandler Harris

Joel Chandler Harris

American author

Kate Chopin

American author

Mary Noailles Murfree, engraving.

Mary Noailles Murfree

American writer

Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman.

Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman

American author

Alice Brown.

Alice Brown

American author

Thomas Nelson Page

Thomas Nelson Page

American author

Maria Louise Pool

American writer

Junot Díaz

Dominican-born American writer

Anzia Yezierska

American author

Norman Maclean

American author and teacher

Albert Halper

American author

Herman Melville

Herman Melville

American author

William Faulkner

William Faulkner

American author

Henry James

Henry James

American writer

A son of Salem

Nathaniel Hawthorne

American writer

Tillie Olsen

American author

Master of the macabre

Edgar Allan Poe

American writer