"The White Horses of Vienna" was initially published in Harper's magazine in 1935. It garnered much critical recognition when it won the O. Henry Award for best short story that year. In 1936 it became the title story for her short story collection. Altogether ten of the eighteen stories in The White Horses of Vienna and Other Stories attracted positive critical commentary, and Boyle's work consistently appeared on lists of the year's best stories throughout the decade.