New York has a power of attraction, a magic, possessed by no other city.

Many writers have tried to capture that magic--but none has been so successful as O. Henry.

He as a born story teller. No fact, no incident of human interest was too small to spark his imagination. A scrap of conversation overheard ina restaurant or a face glimpsed in the street were enough to lay the groundwork for a story.

O. Henry's New York still lives, thouoght many of its phyiscal aspects have greatly changed. His appeal continues, his humanity bridges generations, and his warmth and wisdom make these tales of the city which he liked to call "Bagdag-on-the-Subway" as rewarding today as they were when he first wrote them.