The first taste of O.Henry's work shows that there is more to it than bright coincidences and amusing surprises. What makes his work so much fun to read is the real warmth he feels for his characters and the understanding he has, deep down, of the whole fantastic spectacle of living.

The following are the short stories featured within this book, all complete and unabridged:

1) The Last Leaf
2) The Gift of the Magi
3) The Green Door
4) Roads of Destiny
5) The Ransom of Red Chief
6) Sound and Fury
7) The Handbook of Hymen
8) The Halberdier of the Little Rheinschloss
9) The Defeat of the City
10) After Twenty Years
11) A Retrieved Reformation
12) Friends in San Rosario
13) One Dollar's Worth
14) A Ramble in Aphasia
15) The Poet and the Peasant
16) The Robe of Peace