William Sidney Porter, known by the pseudonym O. Henry, was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, in September 1862. He devoted a of lot time to books as a child and became an enthusiastic reader at a very young age. The pseudonym ‘O. Henry’ first appeared over the story “Whistling Dick’s Christmas Stocking,” which was published in the December 1899 issue of McClures’s Magazine. Cabbages and Kings (1904) was his first collection of short stories. With witty narrations and surprise endings, his stories won the heart of his readers. The Four Million, his second collection of short stories, was published in 1906. His other collections of short stories include The Trimmed Lamp (1907), Heart of the West (1907), The Voice of the City (1908), The Gentle Grafter (1908), Roads of Destiny (1909), Options (1909), Strictly Business (1910) and Whirligigs (1910). Sixes and Sevens (1911), Rolling Stones (1912) and Waifs and Strays (1917) were published posthumously. Selected Stories is a collection of stories which have been taken from each of these books.
