In preparing this the ninth volume of the series, the O. Henry Memorial Committee selected more than six hundred stories from some twenty-five hundred published in the year October, 1926, to September, 1927, inclusive. Of these six hundred the best according to the votes of at least two judges are listed in the following pages. From the fifty stories ranking highest were chosen, in the usual process of elimination by five final judges, the fifteen included in this volume. “Child of God,” by Roark Bradford, received four votes for first place, and wins by a number of points. To this story, published in _Harper’s Magazine_, April, 1927, is awarded the first prize of $500. Four candidates were considered for second place. One judge preferred “Singing Woman”; another, “Shades of George Sand” (closely followed by “The Little Girl from Town”); another, “Fear”; two others cast votes for “The Killers.” To this last named story, which wins by points, is awarded the second prize of $250. “The Killers,” by Ernest Hemingway, was published in _Scribner’s Magazine_, March, 1927. For the special prize awarded the best short short story, the following were nominated by one or more of the judges: “Another Wife,” by Sherwood Anderson; “Sandoe’s Pocket,” by Elsie Singmaster; “Tommy Taylor,” by Zona Gale; “The Scarlet Woman,” by Louis Bromfield. “The Scarlet Woman” leads and receives therefore the award of $100. The story was published in _McClure’s_, January, 1927. * * * * *