| "The Gift of the Magi" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by O. Henry | |
 Cover of the 2008 edition | |
 Text available at Wikisource | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Short story |
| Publication | |
| Published in | The Four Million |
| Publication type | Anthology |
| Publisher | McClure, Phillips, and Company |
| Publication date | December 10, 1905 (newspaper); April 10, 1906 (book)[1] |
"The Gift of the Magi" is a short story by O. Henry (pen name of William Sydney Porter) first published in 1905. The story tells of a young husband and wife and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little money. As a sentimental story with a moral lesson about gift-giving, it has been popular for adaptation, especially for presentation at Christmas time. The plot and its twist ending are well known; the ending is generally considered an example of cosmic irony. The story was allegedly written at Pete's Tavern[2] on Irving Place in New York City.
The story was initially published in The New York Sunday World under the title "Gifts of the Magi" on December 10, 1905. It was first published in book form in the O. Henry collection The Four Million in April 1906.
- ^ "The Gift of the Magi is published – This Day in History – 4/10/1906". history.com. 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
- ^ "O'Henry and The Gift of the Magi". LiteraryTraveler.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-17. Retrieved 2007-05-13.