O. Henry Encore

These are the stories America forgot. Pulled from archives and forgotten journals, O. Henry Encore gathers the early work of America's most beloved short story writer before he became O. Henry. Here are the rough drafts, the practice spins, the tales that never found their way into print during his turbulent lifetime. They carry the seed of everything that would make him famous: the nimble plotting, the tongue-in-cheek humor, the soft-hearted swindlers and dreamers who populate his world. You'll recognize the young man sharpening his craft, testing his voice, learning to land that signature twist with the precision of a cardsharp palming an ace. What emerges is a portrait of the artist as a young drifter, writing in boarding houses and railroad stations, observing the small theaters of everyday American life with an eye that sees both the comedy and the tragedy hiding in the same vaudeville act. The illustrations scattered throughout add another dimension, revealing the visual imagination that complemented his words. This is O. Henry unfiltered, unpolished, and utterly irresistible. For anyone who has ever loved "The Gift of the Magi" or "The Ransom of Red Chief," here is a chance to meet the man before the legend.