Irony, tragedy, humor - all in swift, surprising strokes - those are the characteristics of O. Henry's classic short stories. In this collection is revealed the master's tremendous versatility - sixteen stories of crime and no two of them with the same approach or point of view. Here are five completely different brands of sleuths, and nine separate and distinct types of criminals. And, because murder is the ultimate crime, there are two extra murderers included. A collection you can't afford to miss!

And in nearly all the stories you will find O. Henry's literary trademark - the "snapper," the surprise ending.

William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), was an American writer of short stories. In 1909, O. Henry, the most popular writer of American fiction was a well-dressed inebriate - New York man-about-town. The name "O. Henry" had first seen print only a decade before, protecting the identity of a convicted embezzler in the Ohio Federal Penitentiary. As O. Henry, Will Porter wrote short stories of immense appeal, full of the humor of words and the funnier jokes that life plays on those who strive, contrive, or love. Before his death at the age of 47, Porter had published 381 short stories - stories which virtually defined that form for many years to come and which are still read in American schools and in translation throughout the world.