The River Road By Frances Parkinson Keyes Appraisal

The River Road by Frances Parkinson Keyes

This is an original hardcover copy of 'The River Road' by the prolific American author Frances Parkinson Keyes, published by Julian Messner, Inc., New York. The image displays the interior title page and the preceding 'Other Books by...' leaf. The paper shows an age-appropriate cream to off-white tone with significant foxing and brown spotting visible on the right-hand title page, particularly near the center and top margins. The typography utilizes a serif font, common for 1940s publishing, with 'The RIVER ROAD' set in a larger point size. The left-hand page lists various fiction, non-fiction, and poetry titles by Keyes, including 'Also the Hills' and 'Crescent Carnival.' The binding appears to be intact but flexible, indicating the book is fully opened. The presence of 'Julian Messner, Inc.' suggests an early edition, likely from the original 1945 distribution. There are slight shadows and potential thumbing marks on the bottom corners of the pages, indicating handled use. The overall quality reflects mid-20th-century trade publishing materials, which are prone to acidification and spotting over decades of storage.