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Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind from Atlanta to Hollywood
Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind: A Bestseller's Odyssey from Atlanta to Hollywood presents the first comprehensive overview of how this iconic novel became an international phenomenon that has managed to sustain the public's interest for seventy-five years. Various Mitchell biographies and several compilations of her letters tell part of the story, but, until now, no single source has revealed the full saga. This entertaining account of a literary and pop culture phenomenon tells how Mitchell's book was developed, marketed, distributed, and otherwise groomed for success in the 1930s—and the savvy measures taken since then by the author, her publisher, and her estate to ensure its longevity.
611 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 9, 2011
62 people are currently reading
581 people want to read
About the author
Ellen F. Brown
2 books32 followersEllen F. Brown is a freelance writer from Richmond, Virginia. She is writing a biography of Tennessee Williams.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
June 25, 2011
My grandmother stood on Peachtree Street during the premier of Gone With the Wind and swore she could have reached out and touched Clark Gable. She introduced me to the novel and movie at a young age, and I’ve reread it, re-watched it, and treasured it ever since. I was thrilled to see that a new book on this Southern icon was available, and I eagerly read it. Even though I have read a good deal about the book, movie, and Margaret Mitchell, I learned some things from this book that I did not know. I found Brown and Wiley’s efforts outstanding, especially when it came to sharing little-known information. For instance, I never knew the role that Lois Cole played in the discovery of the novel. The information on the foreign copyrights and Mitchell’s efforts on behalf of other American writers was quite interesting. This book also brings the entire saga, including Ripley’s sequel and stage productions, up-to-date; the authors don’t simply end the book with Mitchell’s death, as so many other works do. If you are a GWTW fan and want to know more about this wonderful book, then this is a book that needs to be a part of your collection.
August 31, 2013
Adolph. Seriously, how can anyone think that Hitler's name was spelled "Adolph"? And yet the author perpetuates the error twice. Entirely bizarre in a book devoted to the minutiae of publishing and selling one particular book.
Rant not quite over. It's Gone with the Wind. Small "w". Another bizarre error. Is the author trying to improve on Margaret Mitchell? And how many citations required her to make the change in capitalization without noting it? Or at least explaining in the notes why she made that editorial call?
OK, for all that, this was an entertaining read about stuff that's pretty dry on the face of it--the labor of getting a book into print and then overseeing all the copyright and other legal ramifications as it proves to be immortal. But I'm annoyed enough about the errors cited and other poor choices in the sometimes clunky text that I'm docking a star.
Rant not quite over. It's Gone with the Wind. Small "w". Another bizarre error. Is the author trying to improve on Margaret Mitchell? And how many citations required her to make the change in capitalization without noting it? Or at least explaining in the notes why she made that editorial call?
OK, for all that, this was an entertaining read about stuff that's pretty dry on the face of it--the labor of getting a book into print and then overseeing all the copyright and other legal ramifications as it proves to be immortal. But I'm annoyed enough about the errors cited and other poor choices in the sometimes clunky text that I'm docking a star.
May 7, 2015
Gone With the Wind was one of the very first adult books that I read. And it's a doozy: over 800 pages (or over 1200, depending on which edition you have!) I remember one night, a couple of years before I read it, my mother let me stay up late and watch the movie with her on TV. I think it was the first time it had been on TV in many years, and the color was restored or something. For decades, every time I read the book I was guaranteed to sob through the last 100 pages (although sadly, not the last time I read it.)
I have heard over the years that the backstory was a good one. I'd seen some E! True Hollywood Story-type shows about the casting of the movie and how the women in the film were so upset when the original director was fired that they continued to sneak out to ask his advice on scenes for most of the rest of the filming. I vaguely remembered a made-for-TV movie starring Shannen Doherty as Margaret Mitchell. But that was all I knew.
Every wanna-be author should read this book. It's about the reality of how life can be if your book miraculously becomes a bestseller. We all wonder about one-hit-wonders but Margaret Mitchell was very clear about how managing GWTW was more than a full-time job (she had a full-time secretary and her husband worked nights and weekends, eventually quitting his day job to devote himself to GWTW.) There were three big reasons for this that hopefully would not happen today. Firstly, she didn't have an agent. (Get an agent!) Secondly, the U.S. was not a signatory to the Berne Convention which meant that protecting her copyright internationally was a massive pain in the neck (and in her bad movie contract, she was 100% responsible for that even though her publisher, MacMillan, held the copyright). Thirdly, on advice of her editor she retained foreign rights, which are always complicated to deal with and downright awful without an agent.
Throughout everything, Ms. Mitchell was steadfast, forthright, and stuck to her word, whether that meant sticking by a bad contract or never making any exceptions to her "no more signed books" rule. She and her husband agreed on that point, to her detriment, as their movie contract wasn't good at all and their publisher did repeatedly ask them to take a cut on royalties (often for legitimate reasons but in my opinion their answer ought to have been "no" more often.) And just when things were slowing down and Ms. Mitchell started jotting down ideas and occasionally mentioning to friends and family that she might write another book, she was tragically killed after being hit by a drunk driver.
But if you're only going to put one book out in the world, what a book! Mega bestseller breaking all previous records, Pulitzer Prize-winner, and also a phenomenal movie. The sequels have been too bad (I tried to read Scarlett twice, back when it first came out, both times I just could not take it anymore when Scarlett decided to stop wearing her corset.) But luckily they haven't tarnished the original.
The book was fascinating, with details about Hattie McDaniels's gracious note to Ms. Mitchell, turning down attending the movie premier in Atlanta's segregated theater, to the book's popularity in Europe and Asia (and I love all the foreign edition covers that were included), to the complicated rights situations, I found it riveting. It's probably only natural that the woman who discovered the book, Lois Cole, was never publicly given credit for that, instead her boss Harold Latham took all the credit. Similarly, the movie deal was brokered by a woman, the deal was handled on the studio side mostly by a woman, and the foreign rights agent was a woman, yet they were never mentioned as having anything to do with GWTW's success at the time. Any author wanting to know what being a bestselling author is really like, must read this book, for its honest depiction of the annoyances and aggravations. Any GWTW fans also should read it to find out the amazing story behind the book and movie, which certainly was more than worthy of its own book.
I have heard over the years that the backstory was a good one. I'd seen some E! True Hollywood Story-type shows about the casting of the movie and how the women in the film were so upset when the original director was fired that they continued to sneak out to ask his advice on scenes for most of the rest of the filming. I vaguely remembered a made-for-TV movie starring Shannen Doherty as Margaret Mitchell. But that was all I knew.
Every wanna-be author should read this book. It's about the reality of how life can be if your book miraculously becomes a bestseller. We all wonder about one-hit-wonders but Margaret Mitchell was very clear about how managing GWTW was more than a full-time job (she had a full-time secretary and her husband worked nights and weekends, eventually quitting his day job to devote himself to GWTW.) There were three big reasons for this that hopefully would not happen today. Firstly, she didn't have an agent. (Get an agent!) Secondly, the U.S. was not a signatory to the Berne Convention which meant that protecting her copyright internationally was a massive pain in the neck (and in her bad movie contract, she was 100% responsible for that even though her publisher, MacMillan, held the copyright). Thirdly, on advice of her editor she retained foreign rights, which are always complicated to deal with and downright awful without an agent.
Throughout everything, Ms. Mitchell was steadfast, forthright, and stuck to her word, whether that meant sticking by a bad contract or never making any exceptions to her "no more signed books" rule. She and her husband agreed on that point, to her detriment, as their movie contract wasn't good at all and their publisher did repeatedly ask them to take a cut on royalties (often for legitimate reasons but in my opinion their answer ought to have been "no" more often.) And just when things were slowing down and Ms. Mitchell started jotting down ideas and occasionally mentioning to friends and family that she might write another book, she was tragically killed after being hit by a drunk driver.
But if you're only going to put one book out in the world, what a book! Mega bestseller breaking all previous records, Pulitzer Prize-winner, and also a phenomenal movie. The sequels have been too bad (I tried to read Scarlett twice, back when it first came out, both times I just could not take it anymore when Scarlett decided to stop wearing her corset.) But luckily they haven't tarnished the original.
The book was fascinating, with details about Hattie McDaniels's gracious note to Ms. Mitchell, turning down attending the movie premier in Atlanta's segregated theater, to the book's popularity in Europe and Asia (and I love all the foreign edition covers that were included), to the complicated rights situations, I found it riveting. It's probably only natural that the woman who discovered the book, Lois Cole, was never publicly given credit for that, instead her boss Harold Latham took all the credit. Similarly, the movie deal was brokered by a woman, the deal was handled on the studio side mostly by a woman, and the foreign rights agent was a woman, yet they were never mentioned as having anything to do with GWTW's success at the time. Any author wanting to know what being a bestselling author is really like, must read this book, for its honest depiction of the annoyances and aggravations. Any GWTW fans also should read it to find out the amazing story behind the book and movie, which certainly was more than worthy of its own book.
April 26, 2020
While nothing quite compares to reading the novel itself, the story of how Gone With the Wind came to exist and the story of its continued commercial success makes for entertaining reading as well. Mitchell can seem like a reclusive person who could not handle success. Here she is what would then be known as a "firecracker" who fiercely guarded her book and contracts. Of interest also is the details of early 20th-century book publishing and studio-era Hollywood. For anyone who loves the novel or American cultural history, this book is for you.
July 30, 2011
In a word: treasure. I don't know if it's possible to call this a Biography, but it is, just not in the traditional sense. Ellen Brown & John Wiley Jr wrote a biography not of Margaret Mitchell, but of Gone With The Wind. Reading it I felt like a fly on the wall of MM's living room. It's a love story in a sense of Mitchell's pursuit of perfection to get her prized novel GWTW onto the big screen. But it's also a wonderful account of what a true Steel Magnolia Mitchell was throughout all the publicity, fame, Hollywood business, and endless critics. I didn't realize how pressured she was to write a sequel nor did i realize her emphatic desire to never attempt one. However, Brown & Wiley set out in this book to answer generations of GWTW readers' questions in fabulously researched detail. I have to imagine that given Brown & Wiley's expertise on Margaret Mitchell & her work, Mrs. Mitchell would be well pleased with the outcome. I certainly was! It truly exceeded my expectations. If you even mildly appreciated GWTW, you have to dive in to this work.
August 17, 2016
Okay, despite the fact it took me forever to read this book, I really did find it interesting. I've never read a "biography" about a book before, but that's essentially what it was. Brown details out the "life" of GWTW from conception through (almost) present day. I found the aspects of international copyright law especially interesting. Margaret Mitchell definitely left a legacy - both in the literary world and financially for her descendants. It will be interesting to see what changes as the copyright expires in a few years and her remaining family members pass away.
I liked the insight into one of my favorite books and would recommend it to others.
I liked the insight into one of my favorite books and would recommend it to others.
October 24, 2021
A fascinating book about the history of the book Gone with the Wind. I really enjoyed it mainly because copyright law fascinates me, and GWTW had a very rocky road in that department thanks to actions by the originial publisher, the naivete of Margaret Mitchell, and the failure ot secure non-American copyright protection in the era in which the US did not belong to the group of nations that banded togheter to protect copyright. There were other elements of the book such as the biography of Mitchell but I thought the copyright portions were the best.
February 14, 2016
This is a behind the curtain look at a cultural icon and one of best loved books of the 20th century. I loved reading the lively minutia about the publishing business, copyright laws, foreign rights for American authors, and Hollywood film rights negotiations. Mitchell’s lack of adequate representation during all the commerce and hoopla that took place over her “brainchild” was detrimental to her income and lifestyle—she was a most reluctant celebrity--though she upheld her contractual obligations. She worked tirelessly at protecting her interests in GWTW, often out of principle instead of for monetary gain. The Mitchell Estate continued that work, obtaining better terms with movie rights when the copyright was first renewed in the 1960s. GWTW’s income then increased dramatically.
I was surprised to learn that GWTW is still copyrighted to the Mitchell Estate and will be until at least 2032. I’d thought that the main purpose of authorizing two sequels was because public domain was looming. Now that most of Mitchell’s immediate family have died (one childless nephew remains), it may become more difficult to keep the world at bay. Mitchell did not think highly of Scarlett’s character, but people around the globe have embraced her story of survival and determination. It’s a story that never seems to age.
I was surprised to learn that GWTW is still copyrighted to the Mitchell Estate and will be until at least 2032. I’d thought that the main purpose of authorizing two sequels was because public domain was looming. Now that most of Mitchell’s immediate family have died (one childless nephew remains), it may become more difficult to keep the world at bay. Mitchell did not think highly of Scarlett’s character, but people around the globe have embraced her story of survival and determination. It’s a story that never seems to age.
December 8, 2010
I received an advanced copy of this book. It is a must read! I am not a Gone With The Wind fan--just never read the book--but I loved this book about Margaret Mitchell. A Bestseller's Odyssey gives the reader an interesting insight into the business side of writing a best selling book. I also enjoyed reading how Mitchell and her publisher communicated without the internet, cell phones, twitter or reliable long distance calling. Great read for a southern book club!
January 25, 2011
This was a flavorful and engaging tour of the convoluted path Margaret Mitchell's bestseller took on the way to it's place in history. I learned so many interesting aspects of the story, new insights into the author and found unexpected humor from the many Mitchell quotes. A must read!
December 14, 2021
Going into reading this book I knew virtually nil about Margaret Mitchell other than she wrote Gone With the Wind. Having just read Gone With the Wind last month, and loving it of course, this was a fabulous read to learn more about what it took to get the book published and the award winning movie made. The work that Mitchell put into her book is amazing and the fact that she stood by it even when it invaded her life, shows a lot about Mitchell's character. This biography of details Mitchell and all the people who worked hard on getting her novel published, making the movie an instant blockbuster and fighting off fame, fortune and copyright issues in a publishing world where copyright laws were nothing like they are today. I found this book to be a fabulous read and entertaining and learned so much about one of my favorite novels and movies. The research that went into this novel shows that the authors really spent a lot of time to make sure the facts were right and that they portrayed ll the major players as close to the truth. If you are a Gone with the Wind lover, whether it be the book or the movie, then I highly encourage you to read this book to learn so much more than appears on just the surface.
July 14, 2017
I read this book curious to know what it was like for her to have written such a monstrous bestseller. I was astounded by the incredible amount of work she had to do after it was published and the problems arising from the contracts, particularly the work involved in protecting her international copyrights. She was fortunate in that her husband had the brains to help, and that her father and brother were lawyers-without the help they gave her, I doubt she'd have held onto her rights for long. But reading about the legalities, the fan adoration, etc. made my head spin and I would have recoiled from such a massive headache. Margaret Mitchell wrote one of the finest books in America literature, and it's serendipitous that she had family and friends to help and support her so that she wasn't totally overwhelmed. This was a book that really brings to life the difficulties she faced.
September 6, 2024
This was a book biography, and it was more interesting than I thought it would be. This was all about the foreign publishing and translation rights, (with some movie problems thrown in) and how the Marshes and the Margaret Mitchell estate kinda changed the way international publishing . It was like the history of American publishing, told in the point of view of just one book. But, I mean, it's GWtW, so...
March 25, 2020
Interesting and surprisingly readable.
"Mitchell acknowledged authors were prone to swearing off additional books and then changing their minds: 'I have heard other writers make the same remark and then observed that they were stricken suddenly with a novel while in their bath or woke up in the night with a violent attack of short story.'" pg.259-260
"Mitchell acknowledged authors were prone to swearing off additional books and then changing their minds: 'I have heard other writers make the same remark and then observed that they were stricken suddenly with a novel while in their bath or woke up in the night with a violent attack of short story.'" pg.259-260
May 8, 2019
This was fascinating...the first half or so read more like a novel. I struggled with the last bit, it did start to drag on and get a bit boring, but Margaret Mitchell was such a fascinating lady! She really had a great influence on the world of international publishing, seriously amazing.
May 28, 2019
This book will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about the journey of the book Gone with the Wind. I deducted a star simply because it got tedious in the end. It's a great read for any GWTW fan.
January 26, 2025
One of my favorite books and movies of all time and still one of the greatest literary love stories IMO. This focused more on the journey to publication and copyright battles. Yes, I know. Terribly exciting and titillating. But as a GWTW nerd and an overall nerd, I loved it!
October 21, 2019
The authors were very interested in the details of negotiations which I found tedious to read in about a third of the book.
April 2, 2021
Interesting story behind how GWTW was written. The author lives in Richmond.
July 5, 2025
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➕ I was supposed to be doing homework and instead sat and read almost this whole book. Fascinating!
➕ I was supposed to be doing homework and instead sat and read almost this whole book. Fascinating!
February 18, 2013
I first saw this book in a bookstore in Connecticut last summer, and finally got around to picking it up a few weeks ago with some Christmas money. I've known the story of Gone With The Wind for all of my life, it seems like - I've seen the movie many times, don't even know how young I saw it for the first time, and I read the book when I was 12. However, apart from knowing that Margaret Mitchell was from Atlanta, I knew nothing about her or the story of how the novel was published.
This book follows the story of Margaret Mitchell and her only novel, Gone With The Wind of course, from its inception and writing through the the publication of authorized sequels decades after her death. Much of the book follows the publishing issues Mitchell and her husband dealt with for years, including copyright problems, poor representation in talks with Selznick and Hollywood for the movie rights, and so on. For example, when GWTW was published, the US was not part of an international copyright convention, and so a book published in the US did not automatically have international copyright unless it was simultaneously published in a country that was part of the Berne convention (usually Canada). Mitchell was very protective of her story, and spent most of the rest of her life dealing with GWTW and protecting her rights in multiple foreign countries despite little help from her original publishing house in the US. The deal she signed with Selznick for the movie rights was utterly ridiculous, and she was poorly represented by MacMillan despite their claims to want to protect her, and it wasn't until decades after her death that those issues were rectified. Overall, this is a fascinating look at what happened before the legal protections that authors enjoy today were in place, and is a key example of why you should always be careful to not let yourself be overwhelmed or forced to sign something you're not sure about.
The writing is well done, with my only complaint being the heavy-handed "foreshadowing" of what would happen if the US and Canada editions of GWTW were not published on the same date. Seriously, after the second comment about "what would happen," I was ready to skip four chapters ahead to just find out the details already. This oddity aside, however, I did think the book was interesting and presented the story well and clearly with quite a lot of documentation as well as some photos. I read the Kindle edition, and I wish that the translation into eBook format would move the photos to the chapters they reference, rather than just being a random block of photos in the middle of the novel. I realize why this happens in a print book, but it's jarring and out of place in an eBook.
If you're interested in writing or publishing your own work, this is an interesting tale that might help you avoid some of the mistakes that can be made even today. If you like the story of Gone With The Wind, you'll enjoy it even more. I very much liked the book and I'm glad that I read it.
This book follows the story of Margaret Mitchell and her only novel, Gone With The Wind of course, from its inception and writing through the the publication of authorized sequels decades after her death. Much of the book follows the publishing issues Mitchell and her husband dealt with for years, including copyright problems, poor representation in talks with Selznick and Hollywood for the movie rights, and so on. For example, when GWTW was published, the US was not part of an international copyright convention, and so a book published in the US did not automatically have international copyright unless it was simultaneously published in a country that was part of the Berne convention (usually Canada). Mitchell was very protective of her story, and spent most of the rest of her life dealing with GWTW and protecting her rights in multiple foreign countries despite little help from her original publishing house in the US. The deal she signed with Selznick for the movie rights was utterly ridiculous, and she was poorly represented by MacMillan despite their claims to want to protect her, and it wasn't until decades after her death that those issues were rectified. Overall, this is a fascinating look at what happened before the legal protections that authors enjoy today were in place, and is a key example of why you should always be careful to not let yourself be overwhelmed or forced to sign something you're not sure about.
The writing is well done, with my only complaint being the heavy-handed "foreshadowing" of what would happen if the US and Canada editions of GWTW were not published on the same date. Seriously, after the second comment about "what would happen," I was ready to skip four chapters ahead to just find out the details already. This oddity aside, however, I did think the book was interesting and presented the story well and clearly with quite a lot of documentation as well as some photos. I read the Kindle edition, and I wish that the translation into eBook format would move the photos to the chapters they reference, rather than just being a random block of photos in the middle of the novel. I realize why this happens in a print book, but it's jarring and out of place in an eBook.
If you're interested in writing or publishing your own work, this is an interesting tale that might help you avoid some of the mistakes that can be made even today. If you like the story of Gone With The Wind, you'll enjoy it even more. I very much liked the book and I'm glad that I read it.
April 9, 2011
I'm a rather dedicated GONE WITH THE WIND fan (as of this writing I currently own 36 and 1/2 copies), and though I'm familiar with the background of Margaret Mitchell, the novel, and the film, this new book looks like it will provide a nice refresher; plus it discusses some of the other GWTW endeavors we've been treated to over the past 20 years or so.
4/09: As another reader has already mentioned, the book's title is slightly misleading: It is very much the story of Gone With the Wind - the novel - other than to chronicle the numerous legal and financial headaches resulting from the sale of the film rights to Selznick International (which put author Margaret Mitchell in the position of securing all international copyrights that might affect the Selznick film, as Macmillan Company had allowed the foreign rights to reside with the author), the film is discussed only as far as its release (and subsequent re-releases) affected the book's sales, and also as Selznick's interest in sequel- and stage-rights was concerned. Margaret Mitchell never participated in the film's huge profits during her lifetime, but this was favorably amended (to the huge benefit of her Estate and heirs) when the novel's copyright was renewed in 1964. (Macmillan's plans for the their Motion Picture Edition, published in December 1939 and reprinted in January, 1940, where hampered by a lack of cooperation from Selznick, who at first didn't want to provide photos from the film to be included in the volume, and then, after relenting, didn't want the edition sold in cities where the film hadn't played yet (which at the time were many, as the film was in limited release for more than a year). Imagine this today!
Considering the benefits Macmillan Company derived from GWTW, it's amazing how shabbily they treated their star author on several occasions, asking her her to accept reduced royalties on particular printings, or even to fore-go royalties altogether for specific limited editions. And they often declined to step in and help Mitchell in her on-going battles to preserve GWTW's international copyright. (That said, Margaret Mitchell was not always the soul of cooperation in promoting her novel, for the most part refusing to promote it, and later often writing - and signing - letters explaining why she no longer autographed copies of GWTW!
And now I know that the "Red-Letter Dust Jacket" copy of GWTW which I recently acquired, with its $2.00 price still indicated, and its red cloth binding, was also intended to tie in with the film - only 13,000 were printed.
4/09: As another reader has already mentioned, the book's title is slightly misleading: It is very much the story of Gone With the Wind - the novel - other than to chronicle the numerous legal and financial headaches resulting from the sale of the film rights to Selznick International (which put author Margaret Mitchell in the position of securing all international copyrights that might affect the Selznick film, as Macmillan Company had allowed the foreign rights to reside with the author), the film is discussed only as far as its release (and subsequent re-releases) affected the book's sales, and also as Selznick's interest in sequel- and stage-rights was concerned. Margaret Mitchell never participated in the film's huge profits during her lifetime, but this was favorably amended (to the huge benefit of her Estate and heirs) when the novel's copyright was renewed in 1964. (Macmillan's plans for the their Motion Picture Edition, published in December 1939 and reprinted in January, 1940, where hampered by a lack of cooperation from Selznick, who at first didn't want to provide photos from the film to be included in the volume, and then, after relenting, didn't want the edition sold in cities where the film hadn't played yet (which at the time were many, as the film was in limited release for more than a year). Imagine this today!
Considering the benefits Macmillan Company derived from GWTW, it's amazing how shabbily they treated their star author on several occasions, asking her her to accept reduced royalties on particular printings, or even to fore-go royalties altogether for specific limited editions. And they often declined to step in and help Mitchell in her on-going battles to preserve GWTW's international copyright. (That said, Margaret Mitchell was not always the soul of cooperation in promoting her novel, for the most part refusing to promote it, and later often writing - and signing - letters explaining why she no longer autographed copies of GWTW!
And now I know that the "Red-Letter Dust Jacket" copy of GWTW which I recently acquired, with its $2.00 price still indicated, and its red cloth binding, was also intended to tie in with the film - only 13,000 were printed.
August 8, 2012
I’ve never read a book about a book before. Instead of writing another biography of Mitchell or the making of the movie, the authors have created a nonfiction account of the making of a book. It discusses everything from the writing process to the publisher’s correspondence to selling the movie rights and defending the copyright.
I feel like this book should have been titled “Don’t Ever Write a Book If You’re An Introvert.” Poor Margaret Mitchell spent years crafting Gone With the Wind, only to discover that when it was finally finished her headaches had just begun. This book chronicles the decades of back and forth between the author and her publisher, literary agent, fans, movie producers, etc.
From the moment Mitchell handed the first scattered chapters over to the publisher, her privacy and free time seemed to be “gone with the wind” (sorry, I couldn’t help myself). Mitchell’s husband worked with her to manage all of the contracts/letters/lawsuits that went hand-in-hand with her success. It was amazing how one book, even a wonderful one like GWTW, could create such an avalanche of both money and stress.
The fact that the book’s success came in the midst of the Great Depression is a testament to its overwhelming popularity. People were willing to pay $3 for a copy, a huge sum at that time. The fact that America joined WWII only a few years after GWTW’s publication also had a big effect on foreign translations and distribution. Hitler even banned the book because his regime didn’t want people reading a story about strong characters surviving during a horrible war.
**SPOILERS ALERT**
I had no idea that Mitchell was hit by a car and died only 13 years after her book was published. I was completely shocked by that. I wonder what other books she might have written if she’d had a longer life.
**SPOILERS OVER**
It is a fascinating read, but I don’t think it would be for anyone who doesn’t either love Gone With the Wind or have a deep desire to get a behind the scenes look at the publishing world. As someone who loved GWTW, I enjoyed the book, but I felt it was bogged down with too much minutia in the middle. But it definitely make me want to re-read the original story again and gave me a deeper appreciation of the phenomenon that was (and is) Gone With the Wind.
I feel like this book should have been titled “Don’t Ever Write a Book If You’re An Introvert.” Poor Margaret Mitchell spent years crafting Gone With the Wind, only to discover that when it was finally finished her headaches had just begun. This book chronicles the decades of back and forth between the author and her publisher, literary agent, fans, movie producers, etc.
From the moment Mitchell handed the first scattered chapters over to the publisher, her privacy and free time seemed to be “gone with the wind” (sorry, I couldn’t help myself). Mitchell’s husband worked with her to manage all of the contracts/letters/lawsuits that went hand-in-hand with her success. It was amazing how one book, even a wonderful one like GWTW, could create such an avalanche of both money and stress.
The fact that the book’s success came in the midst of the Great Depression is a testament to its overwhelming popularity. People were willing to pay $3 for a copy, a huge sum at that time. The fact that America joined WWII only a few years after GWTW’s publication also had a big effect on foreign translations and distribution. Hitler even banned the book because his regime didn’t want people reading a story about strong characters surviving during a horrible war.
**SPOILERS ALERT**
I had no idea that Mitchell was hit by a car and died only 13 years after her book was published. I was completely shocked by that. I wonder what other books she might have written if she’d had a longer life.
**SPOILERS OVER**
It is a fascinating read, but I don’t think it would be for anyone who doesn’t either love Gone With the Wind or have a deep desire to get a behind the scenes look at the publishing world. As someone who loved GWTW, I enjoyed the book, but I felt it was bogged down with too much minutia in the middle. But it definitely make me want to re-read the original story again and gave me a deeper appreciation of the phenomenon that was (and is) Gone With the Wind.
December 17, 2013
Taken from my blog at www.takemeawayreading.com
The title of this one is a little confusing... it isn't the actual Gone with the Wind but it's about Margaret Mitchell's book and her experiences with writing it and managing the aftermath. I was obsessed with this book. As busy as I was with work when I was reading this, I returned to it every chance I had. But I also think it's one of those books that you will either love and be totally into or possibly not into it at all. You have to really have an interest in both the book itself and in the ways of the publishing industry... actually you don't necessarily need to like Gone with the Wind itself as long as you are interested in the greatness of its classic status.
This book chronicles everything about Gone with the Wind from when Margaret Mitchell began writing it to when it was published and became a classic, to it becoming a movie, to Margaret's efforts to protect the rights of the book in various ways, etc. She was fiercely protective of the book, and her efforts to protect it (and herself from any type of celebrity) was more than a full time job for years and years afterward. Even after her death, her family took on these same efforts and fights. It was fascinating to read about how things worked in the publishing world in general but also how it was back then.. things that I'm sure have improved since. For instance, the lack of copyright laws/agreements with some countries prevented her from having anything to do with it being printed in other countries or receiving anything for it. That's just one example of the many dramas of GWTW. One thing that surprised me was how much she did not allow to happen... oh how I would have loved to (maybe one day we still can) see a Broadway musical version of GWTW!
Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind was an absolutely fascinating read! Not only was there so much drama (for lack of a better word) with the publishing and all the stuff that happened afterward, but it was so fun to read about a book that the world fell in love with and adored. It doesn't seem like there is anything like it today (except mayyybeee Harry Potter). I highly recommend this book to any book lovers and, of course, to all big fans of Gone with the Wind.
The title of this one is a little confusing... it isn't the actual Gone with the Wind but it's about Margaret Mitchell's book and her experiences with writing it and managing the aftermath. I was obsessed with this book. As busy as I was with work when I was reading this, I returned to it every chance I had. But I also think it's one of those books that you will either love and be totally into or possibly not into it at all. You have to really have an interest in both the book itself and in the ways of the publishing industry... actually you don't necessarily need to like Gone with the Wind itself as long as you are interested in the greatness of its classic status.
This book chronicles everything about Gone with the Wind from when Margaret Mitchell began writing it to when it was published and became a classic, to it becoming a movie, to Margaret's efforts to protect the rights of the book in various ways, etc. She was fiercely protective of the book, and her efforts to protect it (and herself from any type of celebrity) was more than a full time job for years and years afterward. Even after her death, her family took on these same efforts and fights. It was fascinating to read about how things worked in the publishing world in general but also how it was back then.. things that I'm sure have improved since. For instance, the lack of copyright laws/agreements with some countries prevented her from having anything to do with it being printed in other countries or receiving anything for it. That's just one example of the many dramas of GWTW. One thing that surprised me was how much she did not allow to happen... oh how I would have loved to (maybe one day we still can) see a Broadway musical version of GWTW!
Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind was an absolutely fascinating read! Not only was there so much drama (for lack of a better word) with the publishing and all the stuff that happened afterward, but it was so fun to read about a book that the world fell in love with and adored. It doesn't seem like there is anything like it today (except mayyybeee Harry Potter). I highly recommend this book to any book lovers and, of course, to all big fans of Gone with the Wind.
February 7, 2013
This was a very interesting book that told the whole story about how this amazing book, Gone with the Wind, came about, what Margaret Mitchell experienced with her sudden overwhelming fame with this book, and what it took for her to keep people from stealing her blind in using her work without permission. I now wonder if she had known what she would go through for this book, would she have done it all over again? No wonder she never wrote another book! She was a very private person and chose not to promote her book publicly except on very few occasions and limited her autograph. It did tell very much about her life before, during and after the book was published. It was very entertaining to read some parts of letters she wrote to people. It exposed her intelligence, quick wit, and humor. The book goes on to after her death, when she was hit by a drunk driver on the very street she wrote about in Gone with the Wind. It tells of how her husband went on with the battle to keep people from infringing on her copyrights, which was a superhuman job, on to his death and then the job went to her brother and then so on and so on to this day. Margaret Mitchell did become comfortable financially from her book, but it was not a drop in the bucket to what her heirs made in years to come. She was an amazing woman, stuck to her guns in protecting her "first born" and I'm left with a great deal of admiration for this great author. If you are a GWTW fan, I think you will enjoy this book. I did.
March 23, 2011
This was a very interesting book, but I think the subtitle was slightly misleading. There was almost zero coverage of Mitchell writing the book (though her and Marsh's time spent editing is covered) and the journey to Hollywood seemed abbreviated (considering the title). A more extensive interpretation of Macmillan's marketing strategy, why the editors got behind her manuscript, and why such a niche novel became a bestseller were strangely absent.
This was mostly a business/legal history of the novel. There was a lot of discussion of copyright laws, character and sequel rights, foreign legal issues, royalty and film contracts, trusts, and the like. This was all very fascinating, but not what I was expecting at all. (And boy do I feel outraged on Margaret Mitchell's behalf, even 75 years after the fact - Macmillan sure treated her unfairly!)
I think that I would have loved this book with either a lot more content or a lot less. I think a better balance between the minimal human interest element and the exhaustive business/legal aspect would have made this very strong book into a phenomenal one. Still, it was a good read if not the read I expected.
I would definitely recommend this to any GWTW fan or anyone with an interest in the history of the publishing industry or literary law.
This was mostly a business/legal history of the novel. There was a lot of discussion of copyright laws, character and sequel rights, foreign legal issues, royalty and film contracts, trusts, and the like. This was all very fascinating, but not what I was expecting at all. (And boy do I feel outraged on Margaret Mitchell's behalf, even 75 years after the fact - Macmillan sure treated her unfairly!)
I think that I would have loved this book with either a lot more content or a lot less. I think a better balance between the minimal human interest element and the exhaustive business/legal aspect would have made this very strong book into a phenomenal one. Still, it was a good read if not the read I expected.
I would definitely recommend this to any GWTW fan or anyone with an interest in the history of the publishing industry or literary law.
July 12, 2025
So far, I'm highly enjoying reading about the account of how this book, Gone With Wind, came to be written, published, and turned into a movie! I turned to this book to verify the authenticity and accuracy of the book and it accomplished that and more by fascinating me with the processes that occurred and how changes needed to occur in the publishing industry. This included foreign rights which I understand subsequently brought attention to issues in the industry.
I highly enjoyed this book was very interested throughout the entire book where often I have found with other non-fiction books, like this, to me, seem quite dry. This was not dry at all instead it was super interesting.
I'm now confident I can read Gone With The Wind... which was what started me off on reading this book to begin with! I love the movie but wondered about its authenticity. All the detail that went into the writing of this book, Peggy (Margaret) speaking with the locals of her community to verify sayings, the spelling of slang, and confirm locations of areas of battle, etc. .... to her husband, and friend/assistant, working on editing. Even better is that the book doesn't end at her death, but it continues to let us know how her husband and family took care of "Gone With The Wind", after her passing. ♡☆♡
I highly enjoyed this book was very interested throughout the entire book where often I have found with other non-fiction books, like this, to me, seem quite dry. This was not dry at all instead it was super interesting.
I'm now confident I can read Gone With The Wind... which was what started me off on reading this book to begin with! I love the movie but wondered about its authenticity. All the detail that went into the writing of this book, Peggy (Margaret) speaking with the locals of her community to verify sayings, the spelling of slang, and confirm locations of areas of battle, etc. .... to her husband, and friend/assistant, working on editing. Even better is that the book doesn't end at her death, but it continues to let us know how her husband and family took care of "Gone With The Wind", after her passing. ♡☆♡
January 26, 2024
COMPLETED MAY 2012. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
⨯ . ⁺ ✦ ⊹ ꙳ ⁺ ‧ ⨯. ⁺ ✦ ⊹ . * ꙳ ✦ ⊹
According to Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind: A Bestseller’s Odyssey, American books weren’t particularly profitable overseas until Mitchell wrote Gone with the Wind. People outside America read American books, certainly. But our country was still finding its voice in Mitchell’s day. America didn’t fight too hard for royalties on their works outside the country, and they weren’t prepared to defend Gone With the Wind’s copyright overseas in the 1930s and 1940s. The book’s enormous success startled and thrilled Americans, but no precedent had been set yet to get Mitchell her overseas earnings, beyond telling her to collect the money. The publishers had no idea how hard it would be to demand royalties from countries embroiled in the Second World War. They offered Mitchell very little advice or support when she signed over her movie rights, locking herself into a contract that demanded she defend the story’s copyright outside America — all by herself. Copies were pirated all over the world, and the onus was placed on Margaret Mitchell, by law, to pounce on every offense on the war-torn 1940s earth.
That’s what this book is about — that, and what Mitchell did about it.
⨯ . ⁺ ✦ ⊹ ꙳ ⁺ ‧ ⨯. ⁺ ✦ ⊹ . * ꙳ ✦ ⊹
According to Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind: A Bestseller’s Odyssey, American books weren’t particularly profitable overseas until Mitchell wrote Gone with the Wind. People outside America read American books, certainly. But our country was still finding its voice in Mitchell’s day. America didn’t fight too hard for royalties on their works outside the country, and they weren’t prepared to defend Gone With the Wind’s copyright overseas in the 1930s and 1940s. The book’s enormous success startled and thrilled Americans, but no precedent had been set yet to get Mitchell her overseas earnings, beyond telling her to collect the money. The publishers had no idea how hard it would be to demand royalties from countries embroiled in the Second World War. They offered Mitchell very little advice or support when she signed over her movie rights, locking herself into a contract that demanded she defend the story’s copyright outside America — all by herself. Copies were pirated all over the world, and the onus was placed on Margaret Mitchell, by law, to pounce on every offense on the war-torn 1940s earth.
That’s what this book is about — that, and what Mitchell did about it.
September 10, 2012
Margaret Mitchell was reluctant to grasp the stardom that came with the writing of Gone With the Wind. She was an extremely private person; it was questionable at the time if she would attend many of the promotions for the book and movie. Mitchell was raised in the era where children were seen and not heard. Mitchell took this opportunity to listen. She heard many stories about the war between the states and her ideas started to form. I think it is so funny that in the first drafting of GWTW, Mitchell had named Scarlett, Pansy. Imagine Vivian Leigh embracing a character named Pansy. Thank goodness Mitchell changed it to Scarlett. I feel the book got bogged down a bit at times with information, but for any fan of GWTW this is a fabulous read. There is so much more to Mitchell than just being the author who wrote this great classic. She spent much time putting together care packages for overseas readers and publishers during WWII. These are the interesting facts that come out in this book. The fact that GWTW has stood the test of time, five decades, speaks volumes about the talent of it's author.
May 30, 2015
This book covered every aspect of the greatest American novel, Gone With the Wind . It was a perfect mix of humorous anecdotes and serious factual information. While GWTW is my favorite book and I have read it more times than I can count, I have never really delved into the information about the writing of the book, the business of getting it published, nor the production of the movie. This book provided me with many interesting aspects of the story, intriguing insights concerning Mitchell and her husband, and I smiled at the humor conveyed in the many Mitchell quotations. It is a book any GWTW fan should read. It might be time for another reading of the novel!
Demand for the book grew frenzied. According to journalist Frank Luther Mott, the interest reached such a level that anyone who admitted to not having read the book was left out of conversations, missed the point of jokes, and was treated as an illiterate outsider. In self-defense, the uninitiated hurried to the nearest bookstore."
Demand for the book grew frenzied. According to journalist Frank Luther Mott, the interest reached such a level that anyone who admitted to not having read the book was left out of conversations, missed the point of jokes, and was treated as an illiterate outsider. In self-defense, the uninitiated hurried to the nearest bookstore."
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