This week marked the 75th anniversary of Margret Mitchell’s “Gone with the Wind”. Here are some fun facts about the novel.
Picture from bookpoi.com
1) Even though Margaret Mitchell is considered one of the most successful novelists of the 20th Century, she only published one book.
2) Because of Mitchell’s social connections the book was widely discussed in Atlanta before publication.
3) During one draft of the book, the heroine is called Pansy O’Hara.
4) Harold Latham of the Macmillan Company wanted to publish the novel based on a part of the book Mitchell allowed him to read.
5) By the time “Gone with the Wind” was actually published, it was the most talked about book in America.
6) The novel, released in July 1936, has sold one million copies by December of that year.
7) As of this blog post, “Gone with the Wind” has sold more than 30 million copies.
8 ) The rights for the movie were sold to David O. Selznick for $50,000 a month after publication.
9) Any references to the Klu Klux clan were taken out of the movie.
10) The last line of the book is “My dear, I don’t give a damn.”
Zohar – Man of la Book
*Amazon links point to an affiliate account, the money is usually spent on books
References:
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell Identifying First Edition Points of Issue – bookpoi.com
Gone with the Wind – destinationhollywood.com
Margaret Mitchel biography – amctv.com
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I still have not read this book. I really want to, and I started it last summer but was burnt out on long books. Now several people have told me they don't think I will like it, so I'm having a hard time bringing myself to read it. Maybe audio?
I haven't read it either but like you, I'm looking for an excuse/time to do so.
I think that this book will be tough to read due to the racism involved. The world Ms. Mitchell wrote about which is largely unacceptable in today's American society.
I already read this book... and it is a wonderful book to read.
You´ll get transported to a different world... it is very touching, you will laugh, cry, get mad, all the emotions you can imagine, It will also help you understand the epoch, racism, poverty, war, etc.
I would say this book is a MUST that sooner or later in life you have to read, because it is a great experience!
I enjoyed reading that. Thanks.
This was such fun that I decided to do a comparison, more of a contrast, between Scarlett O'Hara and Emily Dickinson on our Ed page. I also linked to here. Come over and comment this weekend. It's North vs. South during the Civil War this weekend on http://www.facebook.com/SecretLifeOfEmilyDickinson
I adore this book! Reread it last year. A lot of people dismiss it as a romance and don't realize it won the Pulitzer Prize. It's a really excellent book. But if you're having trouble getting into it, yes audio is a good alternative.
An interesting thing about the race relations in the book: while yes, I think Ms. Mitchell was very kind in her portrayal of the treatment of slaves, the slaves themselves are fully drawn characters, and a few of them are portrayed very positively (Mammy, Pork, Dilcey) and some of the whites are really not (Jonas Wilkerson, Emmy Slattery). Yes, it obviously does have a great deal to do with slaves as any book with this setting, must have. But with that caveat, she's pretty even-handed. She may be criticized for her portrayal of Prissy, but sorry, Prissy's lazy and a liar, and I'd have hit her too in that situation, white or black. In the movie she doesn't have much personality so it seems more like a charicature, but in the book it's a lot more understandable. I do hope you (and Ash) get around to it one day!
I read this last year with a certain ambivalence because I'm an African-American The book is far superior to the movie-- not particularly surprising, I suppose. That doesn't mean I likes the book. My more complete thoughts can be found at http://myownbookclub.blogspot.com/2010/03/accomplishment-of-sorts.html. This is not a review, but rather my record of books I've read and my initial reaction to them.
I really like this book, though it's not the type I would usually like. Definitely brings up a lot of interesting points to think about. Also... Pansy?? Really?? eecks.
I love this book and really enjoy reading about the Civil War from a Southern perspective, but the glorification of the Klan makes me extremely uncomfortable. I'm so glad that they cut all references in the movie. In general the movie was pretty close to the book, although the book is definitely my favorite of the two. In the book, Scarlett and Rhett's relationship was so much more intense.
Pansy O'Hara?!? That IS a fun fact!
I just got the new biography/retrospective of Margaret Mitchell/Gone with the Wind by Ellen F. Brown. Looking forward to a re-read of GWTW before I start it.
This is one of my favorite books of all times so I loved reading these facts. I loved that Mitchell started buzz about her book before it was even published!