The Gift of the Magi

by O. Henry

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▾LibraryThing recommendations

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski (1948)
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The Gift of the Magi and Other Short Stories (Dover Thrift Editions) by O. Henry (1992)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss (1957)
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams (1969)
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (1915)
The Gift of the Magi and Other Stories by O. Henry (1987)

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▾Member reviews

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Showing 1-5 of 19 (next | show all)

peacelutheran | Apr 9, 2013 |

I can't even imagine what it must have been like to read this story when it was first published. This, [b:A Christmas Carol|5326|A Christmas Carol|Charles Dickens|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165518693s/5326.jpg|3097440], and "It's a wonderful Life" form the trilogy of secular Christmas stories upon which every holiday episode of every sitcom must riff. (

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Kaethe | Mar 29, 2013 |

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Kaethe | Oct 22, 2012 |

There's a reason why The O. Henry Prize is considered one of the most prestigious honors awarded to short story fiction. You just can't get any better than him. If you've never read this story, take 15 minutes out of your life and you'll be rewarded. Sure it's sentimental but like the movie It's a Wonderful Life, it'll pull at your heartstrings. I felt almost guilty trying to write a summary of such a short story, but that's what I do and you can read it here: The Plot Spot plot summary (

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ThePlotSpot | Jul 4, 2012 |

Read this for school many years ago. Unearthed it this holiday season because I'd been thinking about this special little story a lot lately. The last paragraph gives me chills.

It gets five stars in spite of the line about Della being "owned" by her husband. Hate that line. But O. Henry was just a man of his time. (

)

leirali | Feb 18, 2012 |

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▾Other authors

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
O. Henry	—	primary author	all editions	confirmed
Lynch, P.J.	Illustrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Zwerger, Lisbeth	Illustrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

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Is contained in

100 Selected Stories by O. Henry

The Best Christmas Stories Ever (Apple Classics) by O. Henry

Stories to Remember [Volume 1] by Thomas B. Costain

Has the adaptation

First Classics Illustrated: The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

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1906-04-10

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Western World's Greatest Books - Project Gutenberg

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▾LibraryThing members' description

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▾Book descriptions

Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0763635308, Hardcover)

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.

(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 04 Jan 2013 17:28:35 -0500)

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▾Library descriptions

A husband and wife sacrifice treasured possessions in order to buy each other Christmas presents.

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