Strictly Business: More Stories of the Four Million

O. Henry is the pen name of American writer William Sydney Porter (1862-1910). His short stories are known for their wit, wordplay, characterization and the clever use of twist endings. Indeed, O. Henry is often credited with defining the short story as a literary art form. Strictly Business: More Stories of the Four Million, is a collection of twenty-three short stories that was first published in 1908. The setting is New York City in the first decade of the 1900’s (the Four Million in the subtitle is a reference to the population of the city at that time as well as to the title of an earlier collection of his short stories). You will meet a wide variety of characters from all walks of life who are trying to make a living via honest (and sometimes dishonest) means. Personal interactions and business transactions abound, but sometimes there is a twist. But don’t take it personally if you get fooled, after all it is Strictly Business. - Summary by Warren Kati