HomeGroupsTalkMoreZeitgeist
Search Site
This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

The Four Million by O. Henry
Loading...

The Four Million (original 1906; edition 2007)

by O. Henry (Author)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
427659,322 (3.64)6
Classic Literature. Fiction. Short Stories. HTML:

One of O. Henry's most critically lauded collections of short stories, The Four Million homes in on the inhabitants of New York City. While many authors of the era focused exclusively on the denizens of the upper classes, O. Henry set out to chronicle the lives of those at every point on the socioeconomic spectrum. Packed with stirring stories about salt-of-the-earth men and women, The Four Million is a richly rewarding read.

.… (more)
Member:ethorwitz
Title:The Four Million
Authors:O. Henry (Author)
Info:BiblioBazaar (2007), 154 pages
Collections:Your library, Currently reading, Wishlist, To read, Read but unowned, Favorites
Rating:
Tags:to-read

Work Information

The Four Million by O. Henry (1906)

Loading...

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

No current Talk conversations about this book.

» See also 6 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 6 (next | show all)
A collection of 25 O. Henry stories, including Gift of the Magi, set almost entirely among those barely surviving in the rooming houses of New York. Certain racist elements are noticeable, and some of the slang has not been broadcast to posterity, but for the most part these short stories reliably deliver the surprise endings for which O. Henry is best known. ( )
  quondame | Jul 9, 2019 |
"The Four Million" is O. Henry's second collection of short stories, one published in 1906. It includes some of his best- known (and most widely- reprinted) works, including "Gift of the Magi" (arguably his best story), and "The Cop and the Anthem." The stories all focus on life in New York City at the previous turn of the century. They feature shop girls, hoboes, cops on the beat, cabbys, earnest young men, lonely young women, and other ordinary people making their way in the big city at a time when horse-drawn carriages were the main means of transportation. The collection's title is explained in the Preface: "Not long ago some one invented the assertion that there were only "Four Hundred" people in New York City who were really worth noticing. But a wiser man has arisen -- the census taker -- and his larger estimate of human interest has been preferred in marking out the field of these little stories of the "Four Million".

I found these stories to be enchanting, despite the passing of more than a century. Many focus on young love -- or the absence thereof; others make evident the difficult lives of the young men and women who are but one step above poverty; and all treat their subjects with empathy and compassion. Some, but not all, have O' Henry's trademark ironic or surprising ending. A few will challenge the reader with local dialect that needs to be deciphered; and the characterization of ethnic Italians in two stories marks them as period pieces.

In addition to "Gift of the Magi" and "The Cop and the Anthem," others that I found especially good include the following: "Mammon and the Archer," "The Coming-Out of Maggie," "The Love-Philtre of Ikey Schoenstein," "An Unfinished Story," "After Twenty Years," and "By Courier." A complete listing of the 25 stories follows. the numbers of asterisks represent ratings for those that (in my view)stood out:

"Tobin's Palm"
5* "The Gift of the Magi"
2* "A Cosmopolite in a Cafe"
"Between Rounds"
"The Skylight Room'
"A Service of Love"
3* "The Coming-Out of Maggie"
"Man About Town"
4* "The Cop and the Anthem"
"An Adjustment of Nature"
"Memoirs of a Yellow Dog"
3* "The Love-Philtre of Ikey Schoenstein"
4* "Mammon and the Archer"
"Springtime à la Carte"
"The Green Door"
"From the Cabby's Seat"
3* "An Unfinished Story"
"The Caliph, Cupid and the Clock"
"Sisters of the Golden Circle"
"The Romance of a Busy Broker"
3* "After Twenty Years"
2* "Lost on Dress Parade"
3* "By Courier"
"The Furnished Room"
"The Brief Debut of Tildy" ( )
1 vote danielx | May 16, 2019 |
O. Henry is such a joy to read! Each story has that little unexpected twist that I just love! ( )
  TerriS | Jan 19, 2017 |
a bunch of old short stories. Mainly about love or the interaction between males and females. ( )
  BookstoogeLT | Dec 10, 2016 |
What a good time I had with these 29 short stories. One or two of them per night before going to sleep. An excellent way to end the day. Written at the beginning of the 20th-century, there are terms and expressions that will mystify, but this doesn't take away from the impact of these stories. ( )
  phillipfrey | Sep 16, 2013 |
Showing 1-5 of 6 (next | show all)
no reviews | add a review
You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Canonical title
Original title
Alternative titles
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Related movies
Epigraph
Dedication
First words
Quotations
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
One version of the title is The Four Million and Other Stories (Doubleday), however, there is no short story titled The Four Million; rather, it is the title of the second collection of O. Henry's stories, collected in 1905. The book's title refers to the then population of New York City where many of the stories are set. The explanation for the title is given as "Not very long ago, someone invented the assertion that there were only "Four Hundred" people in New York who were really worth noticing. But a wiser man has arisen - the census taker - and his larger estimate of human interest has been preferred in marking out the field of these little stories of the "Four Million." WorldCat confirms that the story list is identical to the original list for that ISBN.
There is a kindle edition titled "The Four Million and Further Stories of the Four Million (A Collection of 45 Short Stories," which also contains the 25 stories in his third collection "The Voice of the City."
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English

None

Classic Literature. Fiction. Short Stories. HTML:

One of O. Henry's most critically lauded collections of short stories, The Four Million homes in on the inhabitants of New York City. While many authors of the era focused exclusively on the denizens of the upper classes, O. Henry set out to chronicle the lives of those at every point on the socioeconomic spectrum. Packed with stirring stories about salt-of-the-earth men and women, The Four Million is a richly rewarding read.

.

No library descriptions found.

Book description
contents: Tobin's Palm * The Gift of the Magi * A Cosmopolite in a Cafe * Between Rounds * The Skylight Room * A Service of Love * The Coming-Out of Maggie * Man About Town * The Cop and the Anthem * An Adjustment of Nature * Memoirs of a Yellow Dog * The Love-Philtre of Ikey Schoenstein * Mammon and the Archer * Springtime a la Cart * The Green Door * From the Cabby's Seat * An Unfinished Story * The Caliph, Cupid and the Clock * Sisters of the Golden Circle * The Romance of a Busy Broker * After Twenty Years * Lost on Dress Parade * By Courier * The Furnished Room * The Brief Debut of Tildy
Haiku summary

Current Discussions

None

Popular covers

Quick Links

Rating

Average: (3.64)
0.5
1 2
1.5
2 1
2.5
3 12
3.5 4
4 16
4.5
5 7

Is this you?

Become a LibraryThing Author.

 

About | Contact | Privacy/Terms | Help/FAQs | Blog | Store | APIs | TinyCat | Legacy Libraries | Early Reviewers | Common Knowledge | 206,605,334 books! | Top bar: Always visible