O. Henry’s 101 Stories is the Library of America’s volume collecting works by that American master of the short story. Included are many of the man’s most famous tales, such as “Gift of the Magi” and “The Ransom of Red Chief.” It also includes many lesser known works.
An advantage to a large collection like this is that it can include many of the most famous stories by such an author, yet still include much of the lesser known material to explore. It is the lesser known pieces which are often the greater treasure in such a volume, as they are a fresher reading experience.
“Bexar Scrip No 2692” is a crime story dealing with the manipulation of land titles for profit. This story is a dark one, but it is also a reflection of the concerns at the time. The rich manipulating the system against the poor and the lengths gone to in an effort to protect reputation.
This is one of O. Henry’s early stories. It is also a brilliant way to start the collection, featuring a somewhat unexpected ending that flows naturally. It is a look at the darker and more unfortunate elements of humanity, yet nonetheless it is a very human bit of storytelling in the way one should expect from O. Henry.
“Christmas By Injunction” features a man called Cherokee drifting away from the town he founded in an effort to make his fortune. He then tells the people of that town he intends to return on Christmas day in a red sleigh, dressed like Santa with a huge pile of toys. The townsfolk realize that this is a problem because in fact there are no children in the town. With only two days to spare the people attempt to remedy this.
This one is quite different from O. Henry’s more famous Christmas story. To begin, it is decidedly rural and western rather than the urbanized “Magi.” Romantic love, key to “Gift of the Magi” is a small element here. That said, an unexpected gift is still a nice surprise for the story, and the fact that a misfortune and misunderstanding have positive outcomes nestle it squarely in the same wheelhouse.
While the lack of “Tictocq, the Great French Detective” here bothers this particular reader, something would be left out of any collection of material by O. Henry. Any scholar or well read individual is likely to find missing pieces, such was the width of the man’s career.
As with most Library of America releases, this book contains a wealth of supplementary material. In addition to the stories there is a nice chronology related to the publication of O. Henry’s works and his life as a whole. There is also a nice set of notes as to the editor’s choices of stories, and notations on the text as well.
This is a wonderful volume with an impressive sampling from the work of one of the best known masters of the short story. While not a complete collection of O. Henry, such a volume would be unwieldy at best. Even so one would be hard pressed to find a better collection of O. Henry’s works with a more useful set of supplementary materials.
(Library of America, 2021)
