O'Henry is an American writer famous for his interesting and witty short stories. The plot and characters of his stories were mostly inspired by his personal and professional experiences. Most of his stories were set in early twentieth century America. Full of unexpected climaxes, twists and surprises, O'Henry's stories are a literary treat. People often compared him to Guy de Maupassant, one of the fathers of the modern short story. O'Henry often writes about common people like clerks, waitresses and policemen. Best of O'Henry contains a collection of this marvelous writer's short stories that have been appreciated by the readers time and again. Some of these include The Handbook of Hymen, The Complete Life of John Hopkins, A Strange Story, An Unknown Romance and The Trimmed Lamp and The Marionettes.

The Handbook of Hymen is the story of two miners and their adventures to find gold after they were snowbound due to bad weather. A Strange Story is the story of Smothers family and the missing of John Smothers after he went to pick up medicine for his daughter. The Complete Life of John Hopkins is the story of how a chain of events change the life of John Hopkins otherwise mundane life.