The complete works of O. Henry [pseud.] vs The ruling passion: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Manners and customs, Short Stories, Fiction

Cover of The complete works of O. Henry [pseud.]

The complete works of O. Henry [pseud.] O. Henry · 1899 ★★★★☆ 3.8 1396 pages · ≈ 25 h 51 m · Demanding

The FICTION & PROSE LITERATURE collection includes books from the British Library digitised by Microsoft. The collection provides readers with a perspective of the world from some of the 18th and 19th century’s most…

American literature Social life and customs

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The ruling passion Henry van Dyke · 1901 ★★★★☆ 3.8 144 pages · ≈ 2 h 40 m · Challenging

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally…

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Side by side

The verdict

Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
The ruling passion is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 25 for The complete works of O. Henry [pseud.].
The ruling passion has the widest readership — 16 ratings behind its score.

How to choose

Want a one-evening read? The ruling passion ≈ 2h vs 25h for The complete works of O. Henry [pseud.] New to the genre? The ruling passion Challenging vs Demanding for The complete works of O. Henry [pseud.]

Scores by source

	The complete works of O. Henry [pseud.]	The ruling passion
Goodreads	—	3.7 (16)
Hardcover	3.3 (3)	—
Google Books	5.0 (1)	—

Reception

	The complete works of O. Henry [pseud.]	The ruling passion
Ratings	3	16
Editions	31	33
Want to read	—	31
Reading it now	—	2
Written reviews	—	3
Pages	1396	144

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: The complete works of O. Henry [pseud.] or The ruling passion?

The complete works of O. Henry [pseud.] has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The complete works of O. Henry [pseud.] 3.8/5, The ruling passion 3.8/5).

Which is shorter to read: The complete works of O. Henry [pseud.] or The ruling passion?

The ruling passion is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The ruling passion (144 pages, ≈ 2 h 40 m); The complete works of O. Henry [pseud.] (1396 pages, ≈ 25 h 51 m).

Which is harder to read: The complete works of O. Henry [pseud.] or The ruling passion?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The complete works of O. Henry [pseud.]: Demanding; The ruling passion: Challenging.