Order of Book Series
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John O’Hara Books in Order

44 books are credited to John O’Hara, published between 1934 and 2013; 11 of them appeared after John O’Hara's death in 1970. The first book is Appointment in Samarra (1934) and the newest is The New York Stories (2013). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
44
Published
1934–2013
Pages on record
10,222 in 29 of 44 books
Reading time
170–256 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 10,222 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 29 of 44 titles with a page count on record.

See all 44 books in order Printable John O’Hara checklist
Photo of John O’Hara, author

John O’Hara was an American writer who lived from 1905 to 1970 and turned out short stories in great number, helping to shape the New Yorker short story as a form. Appointment in Samarra (1934) and Butterfield 8 (1935) made O’Hara's name before the age of 30. The catalogue holds 44 titles and closes with The New York Stories in 2013. Marriage, adultery, social manners and self-destructive behaviour run through the work.

How many John O’Hara books are there?

John O’Hara has 44 books, released between 1934 and 2013. 11 of them were published after John O’Hara's death in 1970.

John O’Hara Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 44 John O’Hara books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of Appointment in Samarra by John O’Hara (1934)
  2. Cover of Butterfield 8 by John O’Hara (1935)
  3. Cover of Hope Of Heaven by John O’Hara (1938)
  4. Cover of Pal Joey by John O’Hara (1940)
  5. Cover of A Rage to Live by John O’Hara (1949)
  6. Cover of Ten North Frederick by John O’Hara (1955)
  7. Cover of Selected Short Stories by John O’Hara (1956)
  8. Cover of From the Terrace by John O’Hara (1958)
  9. Cover of Sermons and Soda-Water by John O’Hara (1960)
  10. Cover of Horse Knows the Way by John O’Hara (1961)
  11. Cover of The Big Laugh by John O’Hara (1962)
  12. Cover of The Novellas of John O'Hara by John O’Hara (1968)
  13. Cover of Lovey Childs by John O’Hara (1969)
  14. Cover of The O'Hara Generation by John O’Hara (1969)
  15. Cover of The Ewings by John O’Hara (1972)
  16. Cover of The Time Element & Other Short Stories by John O’Hara (1972)
  17. Cover of Gibbsville, PA by John O’Hara (1974)
  18. Cover of Good Samaritan & Other Stories by John O’Hara (1974)
  19. Cover of An Artist is His Own Fault by John O’Hara (1977)
  20. Cover of Selected Letters by John O’Hara (1978)
  21. Cover of The New York Stories by John O’Hara (2013)
  1. 1
    Appointment in Samarra1934 · 251 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1934251
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    The Doctor's Son1935 · confirmed 1/4
    1935–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Butterfield 81935 · 228 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1935228
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Hope Of Heaven1938 · 186 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1938186
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Files on Parade1939 · confirmed 1/4
    1939–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Pal Joey1940 · 120 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1940120
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Hellbox1947 · confirmed 1/4
    1947–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    A Rage to Live1949 · 713 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1949713
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    The Farmer's Hotel1953 · confirmed 1/4
    1953–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Ten North Frederick1955 · 408 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1955408
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Selected Short Stories1956 · 226 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1956226
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    A Family Party1957 · confirmed 1/4
    1957–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    From the Terrace1958 · 897 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1958897
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    Sermons and Soda-Water1960 · 110 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1960110
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Ourselves to Know1960 · 408 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1960408
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    Assembly1961 · confirmed 1/4
    1961–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    Horse Knows the Way1961 · 429 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1961429
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    The Big Laugh1962 · 320 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1962320
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    Five plays1962 · confirmed 1/4
    1962–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    The Cape Cod Lighter1962 · 425 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1962425
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    Elizabeth Appleton1963 · 279 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1963279
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    The Hat on the Bed1963 · confirmed 1/4
    1963–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    49 Stories1963 · confirmed 1/4
    1963–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    The Lockwood Concern1965 · confirmed 1/4
    1965–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    Great Short Stories of John O'Hara1965 · confirmed 1/4
    1965–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    Waiting for Winter1966 · confirmed 1/4
    1966–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    My Turn1966 · confirmed 1/4
    1966–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    The Novellas of John O'Hara1968 · 722 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1968722
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 30
    The Instrument1969 · 174 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1969174
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

John O’Hara books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.

Standalone books

44 books

44 John O’Hara titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read John O’Hara books in order?

No. No source lists any of the 44 John O’Hara books here as part of a series. The numbered table above gives them by publication date.

Where to start with John O’Hara

Start with Appointment in Samarra (1934), the earliest published title.

What is the newest John O’Hara book?

The New York Stories (2013) is the newest John O’Hara book released so far.

Is there a new John O’Hara book coming?

No next John O’Hara book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Awards John O’Hara has won

Wikidata records 1 award for John O’Hara. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

John O’Hara at a glance

Died
John O’Hara died in 1970, according to Wikidata.
After death
Books credited to John O’Hara are still being published after John O’Hara's death in 1970; the newest appeared in 2013.
Release pace
John O’Hara books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
Length
10,222 pages across the 29 of 44 books with a recorded length, a median of 310 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most John O’Hara books, 20 of 44, were published in the 1960s.

What the John O’Hara books are about

24 of the 44 John O’Hara books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: social life and customs is tagged on 7 of 24. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.