"Better than anyone else, he told the truth about his time, the first half of the twentieth century. He was a professional. He wrote honestly and well."
      - epitaph on O'Hara's tombstone, written by himself

John O'Hara's sixteen novels, along with his numerous published short stories, give a glimpse of life in a twentieth century Pennsylvania coal mining town. His fictional Gibbsville, in which much of his writing is set, is anchored by the rich families living along Lantenengo Street. The stories of those who were born there and of those who struggle to move up the social ranks into the Lantenengo crowd provide not only entertainment to readers, but an insightful look into the social structures of the time.