June 30, 1936: "Gone With the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell Was Published

On June 30, 1936, Margaret Mitchell's novel "Gone with the Wind" was published. An excerpt from the article:

"'Gone With the Wind' went on bookstands on June 30, 1936. Mitchell had hoped that her 1,037-page novel would sell 5,000 copies. Instead, it sold an impressive 50,000 copies that summer alone. Readers fell in love with O’Hara’s epic survival story.

The novel begins on the eve of the Civil War at the Tara plantation. Mitchell paints the picture of an idyllic plantation life, often criticized for whitewashing the brutal realities of slavery. Written as a coming-of-age story, readers follow O’Hara as she navigates through the war-ravished South, while sorting through her tangled love affairs with Ashley Wilkes and Rhett Butler.

The landmark film based on the novel starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable won eight competitive Oscars and two honorary Oscars. Hattie McDaniel won Best Supporting Actress, making her the first African-American to win an Oscar.

Sadly, “Gone With the Wind” was Mitchell’s first and only book. She tragically died in 1949 after getting hit by a drunk driver while she was crossing the street. The New York Times obituary for Mitchell succinctly summarized her profound legacy on American literature: '…Miss Mitchell wrote a book which was the most phenomenal best seller ever written by an unknown author of a first novel.'"