Our Hearts Were Young and Gay book, illustrated with drawing bearing signature 'Alajov' (not authenticated)

This physical item is an open book displaying its title page, featuring cream-colored paper with black typography and line art illustrations. The paper exhibits a slightly aged warm tone consistent with mid-20th-century publishing materials. The text visible on the page reads verbatim: 'OUR HEARTS WERE YOUNG AND GAY / BY / CORNELIA OTIS SKINNER / and / EMILY KIMBROUGH / DRAWINGS BY / alajálov. / DODD, MEAD & COMPANY / NEW YORK / 1942'. Below the text listing the authors is a whimsical line drawing depicting a man and a woman in period attire dancing, executed in a minimalist ink-line style. Directly beneath the illustration is a signature-like text reading 'alajálov.'. The layout is clean, characteristic of book publishing standards from the 1940s. The owner's unverified notes state that the item is in good condition with a copyright of 1942, which aligns with the printed date of 1942 on the title page, though physical verification of the entire book's binding and complete collation cannot be made from this single image. The attribution in the name rests directly on the legible printed text and the signature present on the title page, which are treated as unverified observations rather than proof of authenticity.

Based on what I can see in the provided image, this is an open copy of the 1942 edition of 'Our Hearts Were Young and Gay' by Cornelia Otis Skinner and Emily Kimbrough, published by Dodd, Mead & Company, featuring illustrations that bear a signature consistent with alajálov. The owner identifies this as a 1942 first edition in good condition. I can't verify from a photo the complete collation, the integrity of the binding, or the physical state of the rest of the book beyond the title page. Furthermore, the signature and attribution must be treated as working assumptions, as visible markings can be subject to question and physical inspection is required to evaluate paper aging, binding, and overall condition thoroughly. Assuming the owner's claims are correct and the volume is a well-preserved 1942 first printing with illustrations bearing the alajálov signature, comparable mid-20th-century illustrated books of this type typically trade in the $50 to $150 range on the secondary market, driven by collector interest in period illustration and vintage literature. However, this estimate is contingent upon the assumption that the attribution holds true. If the item turns out to be a later reprint, a modern reproduction, or a copy lacking the assumed association, the market value would drop significantly, likely falling into the $10 to $25 range. To establish a more precise evaluation and to assess authenticity properly, an in-person examination by a qualified rare book expert, along with complete collation and provenance documentation, would be necessary.