Product Description
A collection of O. Henry tales features such favorites as ""The Gift of the Magi,"" ""The Trimmed Lamp,"" ""The Guilty Party,"" and ""The Ransom of Red Chief."" ... Read more

Product Description
Established early in the last century as a memorial to the great American short story master O. Henry, throughout its history this annual collection has consistently offered a remarkable sampling of contemporary short stories. Each year, stories are chosen from large and small literary magazines, and a panel of distinguished writers is enlisted to make the final selection. The result is a superb collection of inventive, full-bodied stories representing the very best in American and Canadian fiction. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Don't Buy It
A few of these stories were memorable, but last year's edition was better and so is Houghton Mifflin's "Best American Short Stories 2002," which shares three of the stories.Don't worry that one of the judges edits the periodical that published the winning story -- it was one of the few intense stories in this book. Most of the stories are just character and setting studies by authors who added notes like, "I wrote the beginning, and then I didn't know where to go with the story." Apparently, the judges like to read about different people and places, but I don't. I like memorable stories that aren't filled with description, like the best works of O. Henry, which were not character sketches. Irony, still common in short fiction, is almost absent from this anthology.

weak collection
I've picked up the last few years worth of the Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards, and usually I'm not disappointed, but this year I was. I've read most of volumes Dark has edited, and usually I agree with him on most if not all the stories, but I found this year's selection to be different. There are some good stories in the volume, but most of the stories are mediocre, dull, or just plain bad. But one bad volume doesn't spoil it for me. I still eagerly wait for next year's selection.

A mixed bag
According to the editor of PRIZE STORIES 2002: THE O. HENRY AWARDS, thousands ofshort stories from hundreds of magazines were painstakingly reviewed in an effort to compile an anthology of the year's best in stort story fiction. This year twenty stories made the list while three of them were voted the best by the jurors Dave Eggers, Joyce Carol Oates and Colson Whitehead. I personally do not agree with the juror's selection of the top short stories, which is a clear indication of how subjectivity is involved in the process of judging literature. What is enjoyable to one person certainly might not be for another. I've been reading this analogy periodically during the past couple of weeks and I finished with mixed feeling. Some stories intrigued me while others were downright uncaptivating. In addition, a couple were so utterly strange that they could be episodes of the twilight zone!

Out of this collection my favorite short story was A.M. Homes' "Do Not Disturb", which is a tale of a husband trying his best to emotionally deal with his bitter terminally ill wife as their marriage falls apart.I also enjoyed Anthony Doerr's "The Hunter's Wife" about how a husband deals with the supernatural powers of his wife in Montana. The reason why I didn't give this book five stars is because I believe that there are more losers than winners in this collection. But don't just take my word for it. Remember that the appreciation of literature is subjective. You just may love it!

It must've been a good year...
This collection includes the winners of the 2002 O. Henry Prize as well as fifteen or so of the stories short-listed for the awards.I enjoyed all of the stories in the collection though I didn't necessarily like the prize-winners best.Excellent book. ... Read more

Product Description
Henry VIII is infamous for his six marriages and the cruel treatment of his wives. This guide portrays the high-spirited and long-suffering women who were divorced, beheaded and died; divorced, beheaded or survived their tyrannical husband. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is a culmination of Father Zeno's life work. With the cooperation of the Oratorian Fathers, he was given full access to all of Newman's letters, diaries, and complete published and unpublished sermons. From all this he has drawn together the interior struggles Newman faced from childhood until his death. Zeno allows Newman to speak through his work and writings, an exceedingly rich source. This is a landmark work considered one of the best spiritual biographies of John Henry Newman ever written.

This book was first published in Dutch and met with immediate and extensive acclaim. It covers Newman's young life as an Anglican, the doubts he faced in light of his historical studies, his conversion to Catholicism, the trials he faced as a result of his conversion, and his remarkable growth in holiness and the interior life.

"It took me, all in all, fifteen months to examine the 430 files of letters in the Archivium and the formidable collection of papers, journals and memoranda in the cupboards of the Cardinal's room... Studying the forty-five volumes of Newman's works which had up to then been published also required much time. While I read and copied out what threw light on his inner life, the outlines of Newman's soul gradually became clear to me: the following pages are the result of this labor of love."
-From the Introduction ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Integration of Newman's Life and Works
This is a great book to read after you are familiar with Newman's original writings.I just finished a graduate level course on Newman and this book helped me to better understand Newman's personality and his relationship to those he interacted with.Newman was a very complex person but his single goal was to follow what he believed was a mission from God.His relationship with some of the people he interacted with was strained at times and Dr. Zeno explains both parties motivations.The book is comprehensive and complete.Again, I highly recommend it.

... Read more

Product Description
Established in 1918 as a memorial to O. Henry, this annual literary tradition has presented a remarkable offering of stories over its 82-year history. O. Henry first-prize winners have included Dorothy Parker, William Faulkner, Truman Capote, John Cheever, John Updike, and Cynthia Ozick as well as some lesser-known writers such as Alison Baker and Cornelia Nixon. Many talented writers who were known when first chosen for an O. Henry Award later went on to become seminal voices of contemporary fiction. Representative of the very best in contemporary American and Canadian fiction, these are varied, full-bodied, fictional creations brimming with life -- proof of the continuing strength and variety of the short story. ... Read more

Product Description
Established early in the last century as a memorial to O. Henry, throughout its history this annual collection has consistently offered a remarkable sampling of contemporary short stories. Each year, stories are chosen from large and small literary magazines, and a panel of distinguished writers is enlisted to award top prizes. The result is a superb collection of seventeen inventive, full-bodied stories representing the very best in American and Canadian fiction. And in celebration of this distinguished literary form, Prize Stories 2001 a Special Award for Continuing Achievement is presented to Alice Munro.

FIRST PRIZE
MARY SWAN
The Deep

SECOND PRIZE
DAN CHAON
Big Me

THIRD PRIZE
ALICE MUNRO
Floating Bridge

FRED G. LEEBRON
That Winter

T.CORAGHESSAN BOYLE
The Love of My Life

JOYCE CAROL OATES
The Girl with the Blackened Eye

DAVID SCHICKLER
The Smoker

ANTONYA NELSON
Female Trouble

ELIZABETH GRAVER
The Mourning Door

PICKNEY BENEDICT
Zog-19: A Scientific Romance

RON CARLSON
At the Jim Bridger

LOUISE EDRICH
Revival Road

WILLIAM GAY
The Paperhanger

DALE PECK
Bliss

MURAD KALAM
Bow Down

GEORGE SAUNDERS
Pastoralia

ANDREA BARRETT
Servants of the Map ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A Terrific Collection
The seventeen stories in this collection evidence that good writing in North America has not been forgotten.The story thatI most enjoyed was David Schickler's enchanting "The Smoker" with its character evolvement and startling twist. The first prize winner, Mary Swan's "The Deep" holds magnificent writing that presents images that will remain with you for days. Stories of humor and fantasy are represented by Pinckney Benedict's "Zog-19: A Scientific Romance" and George Saunders's "Pastoralia". Alice Munro, T.C. Boyle, Joyce Carol Oates, Antonya Nelson, and Ron Carlson maintain their renown with their short fiction in this collection.

This is what prize winning stories are supposed to be
Unlike many volumes claiming to have the best short stories of the year, this one may actually be able to claim it. Of the 17 stories here, only three weren't very good (unfortunately the first prize my Mary Swan is one of those three). The rest were good, and there were three that stood out as phenomenal: T. Coraghessan Boyle's story of a young couple throwing their child away; Joyce Carol Oates's story of abduction, rape, and abuse; and David Schickler's story "The Smoker" which is so bizarre and so good that I will pick up his first collection of stories, which this one is included in. Most of the stories in this anthology are of a darker nature, but they are also very well written.

engaging read
Since I live in NYC and most of my read time is on the subway, i prefer to read anthologies. This is the first in a long time that i have enjoyed all the stories for various reasons. Especially David Schickler's "the Smoker." (I was so engaged in this story, i ordered his current book). The stories in this book are well written with likeable characters. And there are also some surprises in store.

Great collection of short stories
Outstanding collection. Best collection of its type I've read in recent months.

Short Stories Redifined
As usual, "Prize Stories" is full of gems and surprises.The use of a panel of judges helps to ensure variety, unlike other yearly short story anthologies.I found this year's edition disconscerting, however, as three of the stories were anything but short.They were novellas.Not that there is anything wrong with longer works of fiction, but it is a different style of writing and not what I was looking for when I forked over the money for this book.Granted, these three stories are excellent and deserving of notice, but not between the covers of a "short story" anthology.

In all fairness, I must admit that in the books introduction, the series editor, Larry Dark, discussess the inclusion of these stories.He claims that he has (I am paraphrasing) grown weary of short stories, having seen so many.My suggestion is that he find something else to do, then.

OK.That wasn't nice.Sorry, Mr. Dark.The truth is, ultimately, that he has once again managed to compile a collection of some of the greatest writing printed in North America in the past year.Most noteworthy, I thought, was Alice Munro's "Floating Bridge," which took third place.Ms. Munro was also given a well deserved special citation award for her work over the years.She has been included in "Prize Stories" on several occasions and usually places second or third.

Aside from the quality of her work, Ms. Munro caught my attention simply because she is so regular.However, it would take me all day to discuss each story because every story in this anthology is simply fantastic.Deciding which ones were best must have been an extremely frustrating experience.I highly recommend this book if you are a lover of short stories.Because of the length of some of these stories, the number of stories included in this volume has been reduced from 20 to 17.These are 17 of the best examples of short story (and novella) writing I have seen yet.Enjoy! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

So interesting you'll forget it's nonfiction!
At the conclusion of his book "A Twist at the End," Steven Saylor highly recommends this biography of O. Henry. I do, too.

This book sheds so much light on both William Sydney Porter (O. Henry) and American life in the late 19th century and early 20th century. O'Connor meticulously documents his sources in a way that never interferes with his story. About three-fourths of the way through the book, I suddenly realized that this non-fiction work is far more interesting than the novel ("A Twist at the End") that Saylor wrote about one part of O. Henry's life.

If you enjoy biographies, try to find a used copy of this book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Very funny!
I bought this years ago for my sister.This book is a riot!Of course, it's dark humor, but it's a lot of fun to look at the doodles and notes to himself.

O.J.'s legal pad
complete waste of money, unless you have plenty to waste.might be good as a keep sake and worth something in 100 years, much like a bumper sticker in an election.

Halarious!
I have this item at my desk at work, and I find myself constantly pulling this down, and taking a few minutes to read it whenever I feel down.Almost without failure, it brightens my day.I followed this OJ trial to from the beginning to the end, and it was awesome!I bought at least 20 different books on the crime and the trial, over the past 10 years, most within the 2 or 3 years after the crime.

My mother bought me this notepad, and it is without a doubt, the best book I read on this topic.

I highly recommend it, for its humor and its lasting impression.

OJ was a real scumbag, and this notepad is constant reminder of that fact, and of the fact that we can't bring back Ronald Goldman or Nicole Brown Simpson!

MC White said:Check it out!!!

YOU GOTTA CHECK THIS OUT!!!!!!!!!!!
I found a Xeroxed copy of entire book (shame on someone) in a box from an auction. I've held onto it for years because it's so smart, clever, amusing and imaginative. I watched the trial on tv and wondered many times "what the heck is he writing?" Now I know! Beard and Boswell are demented to be sure, but I've always preferred black humor (don't even go there) and only someone with jumbled brain cells could come up with a book like this one. Buy it..it's priceless!

Hilarious Take on a Double Murderer
OK, if the humor of the title of this review evades you, this is not the "book" for you.If you think the whole situation is funny, then get this book.

Page after page of doodles and notes that blow political correctness out of the water, and made me laugh out loud.This product is fall down funny.

Again, a classic that is out of print.Shame, shame, shame. ... Read more

Product Description
Classic Short Stories for the Season of Christmas and all other days of the year. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Great Gift for the Season and All other Days of the Year
The collection of writings and the gravitas of the authors is just superb. DO not expect lighthearted and syrupy stories. The short stories of the book address all aspects of the human condition; sharing, joy, sadness, loss and GIVING.
The collection of stories reminds me of mankind search for SECURITY and the ultimate release, "takers fall on hard times, but givers keep on giving", no matter what the times bring. ... Read more

Product Description
O. HENRY The Story of WilUam Sydney Porter BY JEANNETTE COVERT NOLAN Illustrated by HAMILTON GREENE JULIAN MESSNER, INC., NEW YORK Published by Julian Messner, Inc., 8 West qoih St., New York Copyright 1943, by Jeannette Covert Nolan PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA By Montmk Book Manufacturing Co., Inc., Neiv York CONTENTS 1. AFTERNOON ADVENTURE 3 2. ADVENTURERS RETURN 10 3. BY LAMPLIGHT 20 4. NIGHT VISITOR 3 2 5. AN EXPLORATION 42 6. SCHOOLBOY 5 1 7. A PERILOUS JOURNEY 61 8. MAGNOLIAS AND A FIRE 70 9. THE DRUGSTORE 79 10. HEART OF THE WEST 90 11. GOOD-BY TO THE RANCH 99 12. A YOUNG MAN IN AUSTIN 1 07 13. ATHOL 115 14. A YOUNG MAN MARRIED 127 1 5 . THE ROLLING STONE 136 1 6. A ROAD OF DESTINY 14 1 7 . VOYAGERS IN THE TROPICS 156 1 8. ORDEAL i v r 6111202 vi CONTENTS 19. THE INFLUENCE OF MISFORTUNE 176 20. By O. HENRY 185 2 1 . OUT OF SHADOWS 1 97 22. THE VOICE OF THE CITY 204 23. OPTIONS 215 24. CABBAGES AND KINGS 224 25. LETTERS 235 26. TURN UP THE LIGHT 247 BIBLIOGRAPHY 259 ARTICLES ON 0. HENRY 260 INDEX 261 ILLUSTRATIONS Run screamed Tom. Run or hell kill you 8 Oh, Wsyou, Wiir 13 Will would have two hours for reading before bedtime 26 Ill want you to hand me the instruments from my bag. Can you do it 3 3 The heavens were-split by a blinding flash of lightning 48 Earth and sky seemed to belong to him he was a monarch on a high, solitary throne 57 It was exhilarating and wonderful and terrifying 68 He could say so much with his pencil 83 He tackled the art of lassoing cattle 93 Serenading was the current fad . . . 117 No two persons could have been more dissimilar in character and purpose 139 He stepped lightly down to the platform of the station 153 We shot up the town in true Texas fashion 163 He explored the bookshops ... 211 It was his last twenty dollars 232 In the midst of teeming life, his was the solitary path 236 vii O. HENRY The Story of William Sydney Porter 1 AFTERNOON ADVENTURE WILL PORTER WAS BREATHLESS AND PANTING. For fifteen minutes he had been chasing the turkeys a furious pursuit, with the big awkward birds dodging about like crazy things, uttering sounds of mingled fright and pro test. And now Will had them cornered. This wont hurt a bit, he said politely. Reaching down, he yanked a handful of tail feathers. The turkeys gobbled tumultuously, wings flapping, red wattles quivering. Then they subsided. Hey, Tom Will flourished the feathers. Hey, Chief Blacksnake Good work, Flying Eagle Tom Tate jumped from the fence, where he had perched on the topmost rail, and ran eagerly across the yard. Will wiped sweat from his brow. Pretty, arent they Mighty pretty. I would a helped you-only I promised Pa. Didnt need any help. That wasnt such a very hard job. Will busied himself dividing the prize. These are for you, and these are- He paused. Hey, your Pa didnt say anything about me, did he Never mentioned your name, Tom declared solemnly. 3 4 X HENRY No, sir. All Pa said was, Son, if ever you scare the daylights out o my turkeys again, Ill whale the daylights out o you. So I didnt. I just sat on the fence. But scared em, Tom. Id be sorry if your Pa was mad at me. He wont be mad. Hell never know. Will glanced ruefully at the retreating turkeys they were rather bedraggled as to plumage their beady eyes glinted reproachfully. Perhaps Mr. Tate would know. Besides, Tom said, you thought up the game. It was your notion. Yes, the notion had been Wills. He sighed. The notions were always his according to popular opinion, Will Porter, aged eight and soon to be nine, had as many notions as a dog has fleas. And like fleas, the notions were usually vexa tious. I reckon turkeys dont really suffer, though, when their tail feathers are jerked. Oh, o course not, Tom said soothingly. And they havent the sense to remember. Turkeys are the foolishest birds there is. See, theyve quit remembering aready. Come on, Flying Eagle. The other stuffs in the shed... ... Read more

Product Description
If O,Henry's gift was for surprise endings, perhaps it was because he constantly looked upon life with surprise and wonder. Where the jaded eye saw nothing but prosaic surroundings and drab passerby, the eye of O,Henry beheld romantic settings and fascinating people, each with a story worth the telling. Like his vision, his settings spanned the world from Central America to the American Southwest to New York City, the "Bagdad-on-the-Subway" that O.Henry loved so well. Perhaps it was the varigated quality of his own life that lent O,Henry's work such scope and diversity. He was at various times a ranchhand, a bookkeeper, a draftsman and a bank teller. Accused of embezzlement, he became a fugitive and traveled to Honduras in the company of two outlaws and "knocked around with the refugees and the consuls". When his wife became seriously ill, O,Henry returned home to face trial, was convicted, and spent more than three years in prison. Upon his release he began to write unceasingly, and in the brief decade before his death, he turned out nearly 600 pieces of fiction. ... Read more