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The Gift of the Magi
 
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The Gift of the Magi (Hardcover)

by O. Henry (Author), P.J. Lynch (Illustrator)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Product Description

Product Description

O. Henry's classic tale of the wisest gifts of Christmas, brought to life by P.J. Lynch's extraordinary art, is itself a gift to share and treasure.

In a shabby New York flat, Della sobs as she counts the few coins she has saved to buy a Christmas present for her husband, Jim. A gift worthy of her devotion will require a great sacrifice: selling her long, beautiful hair. Jim, meanwhile, has made a sacrifice for Della that is no less difficult. As they exchange gifts on Christmas Eve, the discovery of what each has done fills them with despair, until they realize that the true gifts of Christmas can be found more readily in their humble apartment than in any fine store. O. Henry paints a masterly portrait of unfaltering love, a haven from the harsh world outside. The poignancy of his story is captured in P.J. Lynch's eloquent art, wherein every glance, every gesture, tells a subtle truth.


About the Author

O. Henry, aka William Sydney Porter, was born in North Carolina in 1862. A master of the short story, he wrote hundreds of tales whose wry humor and plot twists, often amusing or ironic, have earned him a place as one of the best-loved American writers. He died in 1910 at the age of forty-seven.

P.J. Lynch is the celebrated illustrator of many beloved and acclaimed books, including A CHRISTMAS CAROL, THE BEE-MAN OF ORN, and IGNIS. He has won the Kate Greenaway Medal twice, for THE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE OF JONATHAN TOOMEY and WHEN JESSIE CAME ACROSS THE SEA. He lives in Ireland.

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4.0 out of 5 stars "Generosity added to love", Nov 28 2008
By Linda Bulger (Avon, Maine) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
O. Henry is the pen name used by the American writer William Sydney Porter. His short stories were enormously popular in the first decade of the 20th century, when he wrote prolifically for journals and collections. Being firmly rooted in their time, they have become dated; and his trademark surprise endings seem somehow unsophisticated. But in many ways people haven't changed so much in 100 years and some of O. Henry's stories still delight with their keen observations of human behavior. His two stories most widely read today are "The Gift of the Magi" and "The Ransom of Red Chief."

"The Gift of the Magi" is a little story that's worn fairly well in the lesson, if not in the language. Jim and Della Young lived on a shoestring in their New York apartment, very much in love but with no cash to spare for Christmas gifts. They had only two things of value: Della's luxuriant knee-length hair and Jim's family-heirloom pocket watch. Della (from whose POV the story is told) sold her hair to buy Jim a fob chain for his treasured watch. When he arrived at the apartment he "stared at her fixedly with that peculiar expression on his face" and then gave her the present he'd bought -- jeweled combs for her hair, now gone. When she pressed the fob chain on him eagerly, he revealed that he had sold his watch to buy her combs.

It's a simple story, but pleasing in its circularity. O. Henry calls Della and Jim "two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest." A nice little lesson -- to be willing to sacrifice your greatest treasure for the joy of giving to the one you love. How many of us are so generous, or love so much?
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