Dangerous Days by Mary Roberts Rinehart (1919 First Edition) - WWII-Dated California Artifact 🇺🇸📜✈️

This volume is an authenticated First Edition, First Printing of Dangerous Days, the compelling 1919 novel by the acclaimed American author Mary Roberts Rinehart. Published by George H. Doran Company, the book is a cornerstone of post-World War I American political fiction.

The book's collectible value is secured by its definitive First Printing status and the unique, verifiable inclusion of an empty, addressed envelope postmarked March 28, 1944. This envelope links the novel to a specific owner in Vacaville, California, during World War II. This book is an investment in a documented artifact that blends American literary history with Californian social history from the era of global conflict.

2. About the Artwork/Book/Object 📖✍️✨

Dangerous Days is a novel of American political intrigue and societal turbulence set immediately following the end of World War I. The plot centers on the post-war social and industrial unrest in America, particularly the emerging threat of Bolshevism and the tension between labor and capital. The narrative follows a protagonist who returns home from the war to face a new set of domestic dangers, including industrial espionage, sabotage, and radical politics.

The novel provides a compelling look at the American psyche in 1919, reflecting the widespread anxiety about internal dissent and the transition from war mobilization to peacetime. Rinehart was renowned for her ability to weave complex social commentary into her fast-paced narratives. The title page verso lists Rinehart's other successful works, including The Amazing Interlude and "K", confirming the book's standing in her successful literary portfolio.

3. About the Artist/Author/Maker ✍️🏛️

Mary Roberts Rinehart (1876–1958) was an American author of immense popularity, often hailed as the American Agatha Christie for her prolific output of mystery and suspense fiction. A trained nurse, Rinehart’s career was marked by her versatility, spanning journalism, travel writing, and political novels.

Rinehart was one of the first women war correspondents to travel to the Belgian front lines during World War I. This experience provided the intense backdrop for her earlier works and lent her fiction a credible, high-stakes atmosphere. Her ability to blend social commentary with popular entertainment made her a commanding literary voice of the Progressive Era. She was one of the highest-paid authors of her time, appealing directly to the massive reading public that sought thrilling narratives rooted in contemporary social issues.

4. Historical/Political Era Context 🌍🕰️📜

The book was published in 1919, the year of the First Red Scare in the United States. Following the end of World War I, America was gripped by a fear of anarchism, communism, and industrial sabotage, spurred by the success of the Russian Revolution.

Rinehart's novel directly addresses this volatile environment, exploring the social divisions and labor unrest that characterized the post-war adjustment period. The postmark found within the book, March 28, 1944, places the book in the hands of a civilian in Vacaville, CA, during the height of the Second Red Scare and World War II. This creates a historical dialogue between the book’s content (WWI-era fears) and its documented 1944 ownership (WWII-era fears), making it a fascinating artifact of American anxiety across two global conflicts.

5. The Ideal Collector 💡🧐🏛️

This volume is tailored for a Curator of American First Editions and a Scholar of California Home Front History. The Ideal Collector seeks books that document the consumption of literature during periods of national crisis.

The book belongs in a collection focused on Women's Literary History, Political Fiction, or Western Americana. The non-replicable nature of the 1944-dated envelope addressed to Vacaville, CA elevates the volume into a niche where documented, personal history is the paramount asset.

6. Value & Rarity 💎✨🏛️

This book is an authenticated First Edition, First Printing from 1919, making it 106 years old. Its rarity is moderate, based on the low survival rate of popular fiction from this period.

The book's value is secured by the Ephemera Premium derived from the 1944 WWII-dated envelope and the specific California address. This non-replicable historical documentation transforms a common First Edition into a verifiable cultural artifact. The aesthetic presentation is good, but the lack of a dust jacket and the detached envelope prevent it from reaching the aspirational ceiling. The documented history overrides the mandatory deduction for the missing dust jacket.

7. Condition 🔎📚✨

This is an authenticated First Edition hardcover lacking the original dust jacket. The binding is a beige cloth with red and black stamping.

• Positive Qualities:

  • The binding is square and tight, providing good structural integrity.

  • The decorative cloth stamping on the front board and spine is largely intact and legible.

  • The 1944-dated envelope and historical inscriptions are clearly legible.

• Imperfections:

  • The cloth boards are heavily soiled and rubbed, consistent with its age and material.

  • The spine shows sunning and fading, with minor fraying to the ends.

  • The envelope is detached and placed loosely within the pages.

  • The pages are uniformly age-toned and slightly brittle.

8. Fun Facts & Unique Features 🤓📜🤩

• Rinehart's success was so profound that she was once quoted as saying, "When I finish a novel, I have to go to a sanitarium; and when I come out, I have to go to the bank".

   

• The novel was serialized by The Pictorial Review Company before its book publication, a common practice for highly anticipated popular fiction of the era.

• The empty envelope found within the book is addressed to Vacaville, California, a small town that experienced significant social change due to the influx of military personnel and industry during World War II.

• The postmark date of March 28, 1944, ties the book directly to the critical period following the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, making it an intimate marker of the home front.

9. Supporting Information 🏷️📦💰

• Title: Dangerous Days

• Author: Mary Roberts Rinehart

• Year of Publication: 1919 (Copyright and Published Date)

• Publisher: George H. Doran Company

• Place of Origin: New York, Printed in the United States of America

• Format/Binding: Hardcover, Beige Cloth Boards with Red and Black Stamping

• Edition: First Edition, First Printing

• Rarity: Moderate Scarcity (First Printing), Unique World War II Ephemera

• Verbatim Transcription of Inscription/Marking:

  • Handwritten Inscription: “C 1400 350 / 929 / Mrs. M. F. W. King / Box 155 / Vacaville California / Solano County”.

  • Handwritten Inscription: “Puyallup, Washington / Mar 28 / 10-AM / 1944” (Postmark on Envelope).