About the book: year / One of the most famous humorists in world literature, O. Henry created a unique panorama of American life at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries, in grotesque situations conveyed the contrasts and paradoxes of his era, which opened up space for people with business acumen, whom the game of chance either lifts to the pinnacle of success, or casts down to the very bottom of life. “Jeff Peters needs reminders. Whenever you ask him to tell an adventure, he insists that his life is as uneventful as Trollope's longest novel. But if you lure him quietly, he gets caught. That's why I always throw out several different baits before I make sure he bites.…»