Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind: A Bestseller’s Odyssey from Atlanta to Hollywood

Timed to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the landmark film, this volume charts Mitchell’s course from unpublished author to enduring, international success. Brown, a rare book dealer, and Wiley, who has for 25 years published a quarterly Gone With the Wind newsletter, set aside exegesis in favor of the lesser-known "insider" look at one of publishing’s benchmark phenomenon, the book industry during the '30s and '40s, the toll that fame exacted upon Mitchell and her husband John Marsh, as well as the challenges of building and preserving a legacy. Featuring key players in Mitchell’s story—including her brother and lawyer Stephen Mitchell, friends Lois Cole and Allan Taylor, Macmillan editors, producer David O. Selznick, and others—the authors expertly turn even the most technical subjects into an adventure. Whether contending with onerous contracts, copyright infringements, unauthorized editions, betrayals, and other problems stemming from sudden acclaim, Mitchell remained grounded in principles, responding with grace and a firm insistence on accuracy. She is revealed here as a most humane figure in a sobering, affective examination of celebrity that is also a testament to perseverance. Photos. (Feb.)