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 75 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.

Reviews

Brown and Wiley give Mitchell s monumental novel its due here. Drawing on meticulous research and unprecedented access to private papers, they follow Gone With the Wind from the glimmer of an idea to explosion as a global bestseller, hugely popular film, and subject of heated copyright battles. This is a vivid, highly readable account of the life of a story and, incidentally, of its spirited, scrappy author. It is also a remarkable contribution to publishing history and literary studies.--Cokal, Susann