Collected Stories of John O'Hara

Here are 36 of the finest American short stories the 20th century has yet seen by a writer whose mastery of the genre has influenced an entire generation. John O'Hara created whole, complex worlds in as few as a thousand words. Wonderfully compelling and dazzlingly detailed, his stories are rich with plot alone. But people are the heart of such diverse tales as "The Doctor's Son," "Over the River and Through the Wood," and "Imagine Kissing Pete." With an unerring ear for dialogue and a keen eye for the nuances of class, character and manners, O'Hara presents an idiosyncratic vision of basic human drives. His astonish range encompasses the cafe society of New York, Hollywood's star makers, and the simpler folk of Pennsylvania country. Spanning the work of three decades, this volume offers the best of a long, prolific and distinguished career. --Book jacket.