Our Hearts Were Young and Gay

Title: Our Hearts Were Young and Gay
Genre: Autobiography/Humor
Authors: Cornelia Otis Skinner (1899-1979) and Emily Kimbrough (1899-1989)
Illustrator: Constantin Alajalov (1900-1987)
Publisher: Dodd, Mead & Company, New York, New York
Year: 1942 (sixth printing of 1942 book)
Pages: 248
Format: Hardcover, missing dust jacket.
Provenance: Previous owner's name written in felt-tip pen on inside cover, which also sports a partially ripped bookplate depicting a robe-clad person glancing at the sun while writing in a book.
Disclaimer: “Lest the reader should be in any doubt, we wish to state that the incidents in this book are all true and the characters completely non-fictitious”
Opening Sentence: “We had been planning the trip for over a year.”
Random Passage: “The prospect of meeting Gilbert Miller made me rather twittery. I was about to launch forth upon the stage and, who knew, Mr. Miller might offer me a job if I make an impression on him. It seemed a golden opportunity.”
Goodreads Review: “A wonderful, absolutely charming book! The writing is witty, light, and funny, and the adventures make for delightful reading. It creates such a wonderful picture of 1920s European travel, but is also a deliciously high-spirited and cheery tale—wonderful!” — Qt, October 12, 2007.
Notes: Actress Skinner and writer Kimbrough humorously recount memories of an eventful trip the duo took as young ladies venturing around Europe in the Roaring ’20s. Our Hearts was a best-seller upon its publication in 1943, spawning a film version the following year (the making of which was recounted in Kimbrough's 1943 book, We Followed Our Hearts to Hollywood). Some of Constantin Alajalov’s delightful illustrations from this original printing are included below.