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.