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Gone with the Wind Letters
This book expand your understanding of Gone with the Wind. Read through letters about the story and people.
480 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1976
34 people are currently reading
1737 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Mitchell
138 books3,027 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell, popularly known as Margaret Mitchell, was an American author, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937 for her novel, Gone with the Wind, published in 1936. The novel is one of the most popular books of all time, selling more than 28 million copies. An American film adaptation, released in 1939, became the highest-grossing film in the history of Hollywood, and received a record-breaking number of Academy Awards.
-Wikipedia
Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell, popularly known as Margaret Mitchell, was an American author, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937 for her novel, Gone with the Wind, published in 1936. The novel is one of the most popular books of all time, selling more than 28 million copies. An American film adaptation, released in 1939, became the highest-grossing film in the history of Hollywood, and received a record-breaking number of Academy Awards.
-Wikipedia
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February 12, 2011I remember reading this book in 9th grade and loving it! In fact, unbeknownst to my mother I stayed up all night finishing it. The last hundred pages are very emotional, and not only had I not had any sleep, I was completely enmeshed in the emotions, crying right along with the characters! The only time I ever cursed at my mother was that morning when she asked me, "Hannah Honey, come help with breakfast," to which I replied, "I don't want to come help with any God Damned breakfast!" Guess Rhett and Scarlett were getting to me, huh! I'm rereading it, and this time will be careful not to stay up all night finishing the book!
June 16, 2012
I loved this. It's a collection of letters written by Margaret Mitchell which answer the questions of both the process of both the creation of 'Gone With the Wind' and why it was her only book.
She has the tenacity of Scarlet but her personality seems to be Melanie incarnate, which is a surprise. She was very against sequels and the like with GWTW and judging from 'Scarlet' and 'Rhett Butler's people she was right to do so.
She has the tenacity of Scarlet but her personality seems to be Melanie incarnate, which is a surprise. She was very against sequels and the like with GWTW and judging from 'Scarlet' and 'Rhett Butler's people she was right to do so.
September 29, 2018
This is a review of the actual Gone With the Wind Letters: 1936-1949 book, not a review of the book Gone With the Wind which is annoyingly the case with many of the reviews for this book. First of all, as far as I'm concerned there is no way to read this book straight from the beginning to the end. This is simply because it consists entirely of one-sided correspondence from Margaret Mitchell to loads of various people--fans, critics, actors, directors, friends, on and on. So what I ended up doing was reading the introductory material, and then I spent about 5 hours going through the index and just looking at all the letters on topics that appealed to me, like ones on critiques, anachronisms, characterization, etc. I feel like doing this gave me a great general sense of how much work (and I mean WORK) Margarett Mitchell put into researching and writing her book, so much so that it considerably weakened her eyesight and gave her migraines for long afterwards. She defended herself well against critiques about anachronisms and historical inaccuracy, citing various books, letters, memoirs, etc. She also shows how she put a great deal into the actual style of the book, the dialogue, and the tone and point of view in which it was written. She reveals how she simply wanted to write a story about people in a time and place, and never meant for it to be an incendiary or political novel in anyway, and was shocked that it sold so well and became so famous. The letters in which she responds to critics also demonstrates how the novel was received, in both positive and negative ways, at the time. Not only did I learn a lot about her writing process from these letters, but I also learned extra tidbits about the characters and story itself, and how Mitchell herself felt about them. For example, Mitchell had no idea what happened to Scarlett and Rhett after the end of the book. She didn't like Scarlett or Rhett much, and said her favorite characters were Melanie and Prissy. If you are Gone With the Wind fan, I recommend you going through the book the way I did to get the most out of it. After having this book for at least a year or two and it languishing because I couldn't 'get through it', I feel confident that I can now say I've "read" it and definitely got something out of it.
February 11, 2012
These letters are fascinating and reveal a humorous, insightful personality of the author of Gone with the Wind. Unfortunately, this edition was published in the 1970s and thus does not include Mitchell's correspondence with Benjamin Mays, nor her correspondence with Hattie McDaniel. Despite this, I loved reading this collection; she writes her letters in the same way she wrote GWTW, creating an invigorating and spirited portrait of Margaret Mitchell that cannot be easily put down. Great read!
November 19, 2023
I visited Margaret Mitchell's apartment in Atlanta in 2014 as part of a tour (after touring the Swan House where some scenes of The Hunger Games were filmed-part of the same package). I had seen the movie and read the book years ago but visiting Atlanta and learning about Margaret Mitchell was intriguing. They said she "hated" fame and she herself called her apartment "The Dump" but she didn't move out of it until 3 years after publication to a slightly larger apartment. The tour guides should read this book! Their facts felt recited. This book gives such personal insight! I stumbled upon this book at a library book sale and found it to be a must read for any GWTW fan! I thoroughly enjoyed the glimpse inside someone's life who "accidentally" achieved monumental success. This book is a compilation of letters from 4/1936-7/1949 starting several months before the book was published in June 1936. Margaret was a profuse letter writer. Some were quite lengthy. Her emotions were palpable, ranging from humility and gratitude, to frustration and exasperation. Her writing is caring, witty, and humorous! I feel the art of letter writing is waning. Maybe someday there will be ebook published compiling Stephanie Meyer's emails and texts!
Margaret Mitchell was an avid reader and wrote GWTW to fill her spare time while her ankle healed from 1926-1929. She wrote it for fun without expressly intending publication. Only a few people knew about the novel. She was friends with Lois Cole, editor who worked for Mr. Latham from Macmillan. She gave him the manuscript after he asked for it saying it was in "poor shape...so lousy I was ashamed of it." She gave it to him so she could "brag I could've been refused by the best publisher."
I was surprised that Margaret herself referred to it as GWTW several times in the book. I thought acronyms were more of a modern phenomenon due to texting/twitter/etc!
In the first several letters she introduced herself as "Margaret Mitchell, author of GWTW" which was amusing! She humbly hoped a few people would enjoy her book and did not expect the runaway success. She wrote loquacious letters thanking critics and reviewers, defending facts of the book, and lamenting how her life changed.
Dealing with fame -
When the book was first published she "ran away" to the mountains where she would not be recognized to get some rest. She also suffered from eye strain shortly before and several months after the publication. She wrote she "did not realize being an author meant this sort of thing, autographing in book stores, being invited here & there about the country to speak, to attend summer schools, to address this & that group at luncheon. It all came as a shock and not a pleasant shock." She states she lost 10 pounds the first 2 months after publication. On 11/18/36 she wrote "This is one of those days when the phone is going like mad, autograph seekers arriving and strangers calling "just to see what I look like"..." Her refusals for interviews, appearances, signings, and publicity came at a cost. She wrote "It's been a tug-of-war. So far, I have won the tug, although my hands are skinned from rope burns."
She refused to autograph books because she was inundated with requests and "I found that every time I autographed one book, a hundred friends and relatives of the book owner descended upon me." She did not autograph any copies after 12/1936 (Even for family, including her brother! For fear of offending someone!) and felt very strongly about it citing the fact she had never asked an author she met for their autograph, even wishing she could buy back every autographed copy and destroy it. She mentioned people tried to embarrass her into signing or to sign one for a raffle for charity-in which to offered to donate money instead. Second hand book shops wanted her to confirm that she had indeed autographed a copy they were trying to sell! Margaret would not have survived modern times as "selfies" have replaced autographs!
There were stories of imposters shortly after her fame reached a fever pitch. A woman claiming to be Margaret with 2 men who she said were her "managers" demanded airplane passage from Miami to Havana on a crowded plane. "There were no seats but she raised such a row and waved the Confederate flag so hard they gave her passage immediately." A Milwaukee bookstore was approached by a woman claiming to be Margaret who offered to autograph books for a good price. It was well known she did not do book signings and contacted law enforcement. "I also heard of a woman on a cruise who pretended to be me and had a grand time for the duration of the trip." Unfortunately none of these women were caught. There were rumors she went to Reno and divorced her husband (false), she had a wooden leg, she was dressing dolls up like GWTW characters and selling them, she was going to play Melanie in the movie and she had written a sequel.
She asked her publisher 1/1937 "I know my book has been a freak, a runaway, a natural, one of those things that isn't supposed to happen....can you make me any private predictions? Do you know when it will stop selling? Do you have any idea when public interest in me, personally will end? Of course, I cannot help feeling very proud at selling a million copies and I am grateful to people for liking it but I am neither proud nor grateful for the public interest in my private life or my personality. I resent it with a bitterness which I am unable to convey on paper I have always believed that an artist of any type should be judged by their work alone...Personally, I would not walk 2 steps out of my way to look at my favorite writer, nor have I any interest in what he eats for breakfast and what his wife is like..." This resounds today, echoed by author J.K. Rowling who is hounded by tabloids and lamented being photographed in a bathing suit!
She was "cheered" when GWTW was off the best seller list in 3/1938.
In 2/1937 she wrote to her publisher describing pressure to write short stories or articles "Honestly, Herschel the amount of money editors offer is appalling. No literature even of permanent value is worth what they offer and they don't even want literature of permanent worth. I don't believe if Matthew, Mark, Luke and John offered to write some more Gospels, they'd be worth the prices that have been offered me. Perhaps some day when I'm ending my days in the poor house I'll regret not writing some tripe and selling it ...I doubt if I'll do any regretting."
Margaret wrote in 2/1937 "That morning I began wishing I had never written Gone with the Wind because its success has disrupted the peace and quiet of my old life which is so dear to me."
Macmillan was hit with a $6 billion plagiarism lawsuit for GWTW. Margaret mentioned she waiting for some sort of extortion should one "slip on a banana peel" in front of her house. The author of "The Authentic History of the KKK" claimed to have copyrighted Southern General names & GWTW used the terms "scallawag" & "carpetbagger", plus both books were printed in Confederate grey (gasp!). Margaret had never read the book which claimed to be a historical account and could not understand the connection since her book was fiction. A judge ruled historical facts can not be copyrighted. Then a Dutch publishing company was pirating her book and she had to file a lawsuit. However days before the high Dutch court was to hear the case the Germans invaded. Margaret said she didn't realize an American copyright was not applicable world-wide. She was also concerned about a foreign publisher altering her book to spread prejudices or propaganda. Japan also published a copy but it was not considered piracy since they had an agreement with America. However, Margaret did not receive money but did get a few gifts from the publisher. She was approached about a sound copy of the novel, only to learn that phonograph copies were not subject to copyright. Piracies of her book also occurred in China, Chile and Cuba. Cuba did eventually pay.
The letters revealed some insights to the book-
Margaret mentioned she "re-wrote one chapter 70 times and many chapters at least 30 times. I do not write with ease....For the most part the book was sweated over." Readers asked many questions such as Was Rhett in love with Melanie the whole time? They asked for correct pronunciations of Tara, Wilkes, and Melanie.
She wrote a letter describing being interviewed by the press "what aims I had in the book (no aims) What did I wish to prove? (I didn't want to prove anything) Is it a propaganda novel (Oh, God, no!) Did you write it because you felt the whole story had never been told before (No, it's been told so often everybody's sick & tired of it) Are you writing another book? (Do I look like that kind of fool?)"
She wrote to a reader "Your letter wanting to know what happened to Rhett & Scarlett made me very happy indeed for it made me feel that you thought of them as real people and not fictional characters. I wish I could tell you what happened to them both after the end of the book but I cannot, for I know no more about them than you do. I wrote my book from back to front....I do not have a notion of what happened to them and I left them to their ultimate fate. With 2 such determined characters, it would be hard to predict what would happen to them."
She wrote she went to great lengths to research that names and places were not real to cause any embarrassment. Of course some places claimed to be Tara which greatly annoyed Margaret. She stated Rhett Butler's name was chosen "I wanted a 2-syllable GA Coast last name and a 1-syllable S. Carolina Coast first name. Butler was a very prominent name in our State in the 1840's. I made him a Charlestonian because I had to make him a blockade runner, & there was no blockading done from Savannah. I checked hundreds of S. Carolina records in an effort to ascertain that, during the period my book covered, there had never been anyone named Butler prominent in the blockade traffic."
Another reader asked if Rhett joined the Confederate because his sympathy was aroused by the young boy being carried during the retreat from Atlanta. She wrote "I cannot give you the answer to your question...the reason is the whole book was written through Scarlett's eyes. What she understood was written down; what she did not understand-and there were many things beyond her comprehension, they were left to the reader's imagination, even as they were left to Scarlett's."
Of Scarlett she wrote "I did not wish, as the author, to pass any judgment on any character...and let the reader draw their own inferences. Personally I cannot help feeling Scarlett had good traits. Surely courage is commendable and she had it. The sense of responsibility for the weak and helpless is a rare trait and she had this, for she took care of her own even at great cost to herself. She was able to appreciate what was beautiful in her mother, even if she could not emulate her....She had perseverance in the face of defeat. Of course those qualities are balanced by her bad qualities."
The movie
Margaret sold the film rights 7/30/1936. Margaret insisted she did not want any part in the movie stating "My contract specifically provides I have nothing to do with the movie." She did not want any criticism of the movie directed at her. She stated she was responsible for her book, they were responsible for the movie.. There were many rumors she was choosing the cast and many requests to be in the movie! The producer David O. Selznick did consult with her and kept her informed of casting decisions and sent her pictures of the set. When he told her first that Vivien Leigh was cast as Scarlett she immediately notified Atlanta newspapers so they could have the story first. Newspapers tried to say she "okeyed," "endorsed" or "approved" Vivien's selection when shown a picture. Margaret simply said she "looked to be a young woman of spirt" it and fire" with an "Irish look in her eyes" and was very upset about this. He also asked her to write the BBQ scene. He wanted to keep the script authentic to the book but there was no dialogue in the book introducing the characters. Margaret declined stating she did not have time, was a slow writer, and hadn't written since the book was published. She was bombarded with requests for seats at the movie premiere before filming started and to meet the actors!
The movie premiered 3 years after publication on 12/15/1939 in Atlanta in a theater that held 2,000 people. Margaret didn't really discuss too much about the premiere itself. Just that Atlanta did itself proud, a few audience reactions at some scenes and she attended an informal party prior to. After the premier her life quieted down as public attention shifted to the election and war. She continued to battle foreign copyright infringements and did some travelling.
Gone With the Wind won a Pulitzer Prize. Margaret also to received an honorary Master of Arts degree from Smith University. (She attended for a year but didn't complete a degree due to her mother's health.) In 1949 a French town named her an "honorary citizen."
Of course Margaret is probably turning in her grave that these letters were published. She was fiercely private and expressly refused a request to publish her letters. She was distressed by previous publications of letters. However she is such a wonderful writer even these letters are enjoyable! It's hard to imagine her disdain of success especially in our over-sharing, tweeting society, but she does make some compelling arguments.
Margaret Mitchell died at the age of 49 on August 17, 1949 at Grady Hospital in Atlanta after being struck by a car as a pedestrian.
There is an index in the back and a photo section in the middle. I I think this would be a great book for a book club discussion!
Margaret Mitchell was an avid reader and wrote GWTW to fill her spare time while her ankle healed from 1926-1929. She wrote it for fun without expressly intending publication. Only a few people knew about the novel. She was friends with Lois Cole, editor who worked for Mr. Latham from Macmillan. She gave him the manuscript after he asked for it saying it was in "poor shape...so lousy I was ashamed of it." She gave it to him so she could "brag I could've been refused by the best publisher."
I was surprised that Margaret herself referred to it as GWTW several times in the book. I thought acronyms were more of a modern phenomenon due to texting/twitter/etc!
In the first several letters she introduced herself as "Margaret Mitchell, author of GWTW" which was amusing! She humbly hoped a few people would enjoy her book and did not expect the runaway success. She wrote loquacious letters thanking critics and reviewers, defending facts of the book, and lamenting how her life changed.
Dealing with fame -
When the book was first published she "ran away" to the mountains where she would not be recognized to get some rest. She also suffered from eye strain shortly before and several months after the publication. She wrote she "did not realize being an author meant this sort of thing, autographing in book stores, being invited here & there about the country to speak, to attend summer schools, to address this & that group at luncheon. It all came as a shock and not a pleasant shock." She states she lost 10 pounds the first 2 months after publication. On 11/18/36 she wrote "This is one of those days when the phone is going like mad, autograph seekers arriving and strangers calling "just to see what I look like"..." Her refusals for interviews, appearances, signings, and publicity came at a cost. She wrote "It's been a tug-of-war. So far, I have won the tug, although my hands are skinned from rope burns."
She refused to autograph books because she was inundated with requests and "I found that every time I autographed one book, a hundred friends and relatives of the book owner descended upon me." She did not autograph any copies after 12/1936 (Even for family, including her brother! For fear of offending someone!) and felt very strongly about it citing the fact she had never asked an author she met for their autograph, even wishing she could buy back every autographed copy and destroy it. She mentioned people tried to embarrass her into signing or to sign one for a raffle for charity-in which to offered to donate money instead. Second hand book shops wanted her to confirm that she had indeed autographed a copy they were trying to sell! Margaret would not have survived modern times as "selfies" have replaced autographs!
There were stories of imposters shortly after her fame reached a fever pitch. A woman claiming to be Margaret with 2 men who she said were her "managers" demanded airplane passage from Miami to Havana on a crowded plane. "There were no seats but she raised such a row and waved the Confederate flag so hard they gave her passage immediately." A Milwaukee bookstore was approached by a woman claiming to be Margaret who offered to autograph books for a good price. It was well known she did not do book signings and contacted law enforcement. "I also heard of a woman on a cruise who pretended to be me and had a grand time for the duration of the trip." Unfortunately none of these women were caught. There were rumors she went to Reno and divorced her husband (false), she had a wooden leg, she was dressing dolls up like GWTW characters and selling them, she was going to play Melanie in the movie and she had written a sequel.
She asked her publisher 1/1937 "I know my book has been a freak, a runaway, a natural, one of those things that isn't supposed to happen....can you make me any private predictions? Do you know when it will stop selling? Do you have any idea when public interest in me, personally will end? Of course, I cannot help feeling very proud at selling a million copies and I am grateful to people for liking it but I am neither proud nor grateful for the public interest in my private life or my personality. I resent it with a bitterness which I am unable to convey on paper I have always believed that an artist of any type should be judged by their work alone...Personally, I would not walk 2 steps out of my way to look at my favorite writer, nor have I any interest in what he eats for breakfast and what his wife is like..." This resounds today, echoed by author J.K. Rowling who is hounded by tabloids and lamented being photographed in a bathing suit!
She was "cheered" when GWTW was off the best seller list in 3/1938.
In 2/1937 she wrote to her publisher describing pressure to write short stories or articles "Honestly, Herschel the amount of money editors offer is appalling. No literature even of permanent value is worth what they offer and they don't even want literature of permanent worth. I don't believe if Matthew, Mark, Luke and John offered to write some more Gospels, they'd be worth the prices that have been offered me. Perhaps some day when I'm ending my days in the poor house I'll regret not writing some tripe and selling it ...I doubt if I'll do any regretting."
Margaret wrote in 2/1937 "That morning I began wishing I had never written Gone with the Wind because its success has disrupted the peace and quiet of my old life which is so dear to me."
Macmillan was hit with a $6 billion plagiarism lawsuit for GWTW. Margaret mentioned she waiting for some sort of extortion should one "slip on a banana peel" in front of her house. The author of "The Authentic History of the KKK" claimed to have copyrighted Southern General names & GWTW used the terms "scallawag" & "carpetbagger", plus both books were printed in Confederate grey (gasp!). Margaret had never read the book which claimed to be a historical account and could not understand the connection since her book was fiction. A judge ruled historical facts can not be copyrighted. Then a Dutch publishing company was pirating her book and she had to file a lawsuit. However days before the high Dutch court was to hear the case the Germans invaded. Margaret said she didn't realize an American copyright was not applicable world-wide. She was also concerned about a foreign publisher altering her book to spread prejudices or propaganda. Japan also published a copy but it was not considered piracy since they had an agreement with America. However, Margaret did not receive money but did get a few gifts from the publisher. She was approached about a sound copy of the novel, only to learn that phonograph copies were not subject to copyright. Piracies of her book also occurred in China, Chile and Cuba. Cuba did eventually pay.
The letters revealed some insights to the book-
Margaret mentioned she "re-wrote one chapter 70 times and many chapters at least 30 times. I do not write with ease....For the most part the book was sweated over." Readers asked many questions such as Was Rhett in love with Melanie the whole time? They asked for correct pronunciations of Tara, Wilkes, and Melanie.
She wrote a letter describing being interviewed by the press "what aims I had in the book (no aims) What did I wish to prove? (I didn't want to prove anything) Is it a propaganda novel (Oh, God, no!) Did you write it because you felt the whole story had never been told before (No, it's been told so often everybody's sick & tired of it) Are you writing another book? (Do I look like that kind of fool?)"
She wrote to a reader "Your letter wanting to know what happened to Rhett & Scarlett made me very happy indeed for it made me feel that you thought of them as real people and not fictional characters. I wish I could tell you what happened to them both after the end of the book but I cannot, for I know no more about them than you do. I wrote my book from back to front....I do not have a notion of what happened to them and I left them to their ultimate fate. With 2 such determined characters, it would be hard to predict what would happen to them."
She wrote she went to great lengths to research that names and places were not real to cause any embarrassment. Of course some places claimed to be Tara which greatly annoyed Margaret. She stated Rhett Butler's name was chosen "I wanted a 2-syllable GA Coast last name and a 1-syllable S. Carolina Coast first name. Butler was a very prominent name in our State in the 1840's. I made him a Charlestonian because I had to make him a blockade runner, & there was no blockading done from Savannah. I checked hundreds of S. Carolina records in an effort to ascertain that, during the period my book covered, there had never been anyone named Butler prominent in the blockade traffic."
Another reader asked if Rhett joined the Confederate because his sympathy was aroused by the young boy being carried during the retreat from Atlanta. She wrote "I cannot give you the answer to your question...the reason is the whole book was written through Scarlett's eyes. What she understood was written down; what she did not understand-and there were many things beyond her comprehension, they were left to the reader's imagination, even as they were left to Scarlett's."
Of Scarlett she wrote "I did not wish, as the author, to pass any judgment on any character...and let the reader draw their own inferences. Personally I cannot help feeling Scarlett had good traits. Surely courage is commendable and she had it. The sense of responsibility for the weak and helpless is a rare trait and she had this, for she took care of her own even at great cost to herself. She was able to appreciate what was beautiful in her mother, even if she could not emulate her....She had perseverance in the face of defeat. Of course those qualities are balanced by her bad qualities."
The movie
Margaret sold the film rights 7/30/1936. Margaret insisted she did not want any part in the movie stating "My contract specifically provides I have nothing to do with the movie." She did not want any criticism of the movie directed at her. She stated she was responsible for her book, they were responsible for the movie.. There were many rumors she was choosing the cast and many requests to be in the movie! The producer David O. Selznick did consult with her and kept her informed of casting decisions and sent her pictures of the set. When he told her first that Vivien Leigh was cast as Scarlett she immediately notified Atlanta newspapers so they could have the story first. Newspapers tried to say she "okeyed," "endorsed" or "approved" Vivien's selection when shown a picture. Margaret simply said she "looked to be a young woman of spirt" it and fire" with an "Irish look in her eyes" and was very upset about this. He also asked her to write the BBQ scene. He wanted to keep the script authentic to the book but there was no dialogue in the book introducing the characters. Margaret declined stating she did not have time, was a slow writer, and hadn't written since the book was published. She was bombarded with requests for seats at the movie premiere before filming started and to meet the actors!
The movie premiered 3 years after publication on 12/15/1939 in Atlanta in a theater that held 2,000 people. Margaret didn't really discuss too much about the premiere itself. Just that Atlanta did itself proud, a few audience reactions at some scenes and she attended an informal party prior to. After the premier her life quieted down as public attention shifted to the election and war. She continued to battle foreign copyright infringements and did some travelling.
Gone With the Wind won a Pulitzer Prize. Margaret also to received an honorary Master of Arts degree from Smith University. (She attended for a year but didn't complete a degree due to her mother's health.) In 1949 a French town named her an "honorary citizen."
Of course Margaret is probably turning in her grave that these letters were published. She was fiercely private and expressly refused a request to publish her letters. She was distressed by previous publications of letters. However she is such a wonderful writer even these letters are enjoyable! It's hard to imagine her disdain of success especially in our over-sharing, tweeting society, but she does make some compelling arguments.
Margaret Mitchell died at the age of 49 on August 17, 1949 at Grady Hospital in Atlanta after being struck by a car as a pedestrian.
There is an index in the back and a photo section in the middle. I I think this would be a great book for a book club discussion!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 12, 2023
A wonderful wealth of background information, particularly on Mitchell's extensive research into the history of the time period, her years of harassment from misinformation about her involvement in the movie production, countless instances of unauthorized publications and translations of her novel in foreign countries, and my personal favourite which was a letter outlining her express wishes against anyone trying to use her characters in their versions of "sequels". This book is a treasure. Highly recommended.
September 5, 2019
Not enough stars on the chart to mark. Eight Stars would do. I love this book. I read it at age 17 and then again at age 45. We both got better with age. Perfect summer read. Don't watch the movie until you've read the book. One of the top entries on my Bucket list is to roam the streets of Savannah, Charleston, Atlanta. I want to find that red dirt. I want to see all the artifacts from the war. I want to hear horses clop along the street. I want to find Rhett!!!!!!
When I was young I thought Scarlet was foolish to "think about it tomorrow." I have to compartmentalize my focus time. She was ahead of her time with that thinking. Really she could have been worse than she was. But look what that Southern Belle did when times got tough. There's true grit for you.
I LOVE THIS BOOK!
When I was young I thought Scarlet was foolish to "think about it tomorrow." I have to compartmentalize my focus time. She was ahead of her time with that thinking. Really she could have been worse than she was. But look what that Southern Belle did when times got tough. There's true grit for you.
I LOVE THIS BOOK!
November 2, 2010
Margaret Mitchell never wrote another book after Gone With the Wind but she did write thousands of letters. This book presents a fascinating collection of those relating to the history of her famous novel.
January 8, 2021
Sau khi đọc Cuốn Theo Chiều gió và Gia Đình BuddenBrook mình thắc mắc là tại sao tác giả có thể diễn tả một các đầy đủ, chi tiết và sống động đến vậy nếu không phải là họ đang sống trong những khoẳng khắc đó?
Một câu truyện về sự thay đổi của thời cuộc, thay đổi về tính cách, tình yêu và sự cư xử. Đâu đó bài học về kinh doanh khi thị trường loạn lạc cũng là lúc dễ kiếm tiền nhất, những chiêu trò “ đắc nhân tâm”. Một điều quan trọng là yêu thì phải nói như là đói thì phải ăn, dẹp đi tự ái và đừng bao giờ tự đoán suy nghĩ của đối phương
Một câu truyện về sự thay đổi của thời cuộc, thay đổi về tính cách, tình yêu và sự cư xử. Đâu đó bài học về kinh doanh khi thị trường loạn lạc cũng là lúc dễ kiếm tiền nhất, những chiêu trò “ đắc nhân tâm”. Một điều quan trọng là yêu thì phải nói như là đói thì phải ăn, dẹp đi tự ái và đừng bao giờ tự đoán suy nghĩ của đối phương
February 15, 2011
A sweeping, complicated historic opera, but worthy of its following! It can be summed up as a Greek-esque tragedy of juxtaposed blind spots that lead to the unwitting successes and failures of its characters. We spend an indulgent amount of time in Scarlett O'Hara's childhood in "the County," just outside of contemporary Atlanta. We enjoy the vivid portrayal of that agricultural life, and witnessing her social maneuvering as -- at first -- a flighty, brash, impulsive, non-chalant, self-centered debutante that makes her a delicious read. She does not fully comprehend "the Cause" by which the South fights the North, skeptical about the need for Civil War.
The woman she develops into is a progressive-thinking liberal, self-reliant and independent, who is shunned by a shattered and impovershed Atlantan society because of her sound business practice (she sells to carpetbaggers and scallawags, and alienates friends who take advantage of her general store), as is her best friend Melanie Hamilton, sister-in-law through her first husband. Melanie serves as the parallel opposite of Scarlett, Melanie is gracious, popular, sweet ("mealy-mouthed") and serene. She is also fiercely loyal and has a blind spot for Scarlett's faults and covetousness for Melanie's husband, Ashley Wilkes.
Though often interpreted as manipulative, Scarlett is actually altruistic, carrying her friends and family with Catholic devotion, whom she does not always particularly like, with dedication in the spirit of her French ancestry mother, Ellen Robillard O'Hara. Her relationship with religion deteriorates over time, as does her belief in societal propriety, but Scarlett's impetus is motivated by a deeper goodness. Scarlett is critical of slavery (the book as an objective, omniscient narrative makes no moral arguments, but treats the matter as simply a fact of that era) and of the North's hypocrisy in freeing the slaves but not accepting them as equals or family members, a cultural nuance embedded into the Southern notion of kin.
In spite of her gender and the recently abolished institution of slavery, Scarlett proves that through gumption and strategic thinking, channeling the audacity of her Irish ancestry through her father Gerald, strong individuals can rise and topple the tiers of society. The book languishes for the "slow glamour" of the antebellum Clayton County, and picks up pace in its brutal portrayal of a bustling metropolis in Atlanta that becomes the disquieted urban backdrop for this epic drama. Scarlett is not exceptionally booksmart, but she is instinctive and can see beyond what is desired by those around her to the pragmatic core of situations. Sadly, in the case of her longtime beau, the debonair rake Rhett Butler, her childish attachment to Ashley Wilkes is the blind spot that evolves into the black hole threatening her ultimate happiness.
The woman she develops into is a progressive-thinking liberal, self-reliant and independent, who is shunned by a shattered and impovershed Atlantan society because of her sound business practice (she sells to carpetbaggers and scallawags, and alienates friends who take advantage of her general store), as is her best friend Melanie Hamilton, sister-in-law through her first husband. Melanie serves as the parallel opposite of Scarlett, Melanie is gracious, popular, sweet ("mealy-mouthed") and serene. She is also fiercely loyal and has a blind spot for Scarlett's faults and covetousness for Melanie's husband, Ashley Wilkes.
Though often interpreted as manipulative, Scarlett is actually altruistic, carrying her friends and family with Catholic devotion, whom she does not always particularly like, with dedication in the spirit of her French ancestry mother, Ellen Robillard O'Hara. Her relationship with religion deteriorates over time, as does her belief in societal propriety, but Scarlett's impetus is motivated by a deeper goodness. Scarlett is critical of slavery (the book as an objective, omniscient narrative makes no moral arguments, but treats the matter as simply a fact of that era) and of the North's hypocrisy in freeing the slaves but not accepting them as equals or family members, a cultural nuance embedded into the Southern notion of kin.
In spite of her gender and the recently abolished institution of slavery, Scarlett proves that through gumption and strategic thinking, channeling the audacity of her Irish ancestry through her father Gerald, strong individuals can rise and topple the tiers of society. The book languishes for the "slow glamour" of the antebellum Clayton County, and picks up pace in its brutal portrayal of a bustling metropolis in Atlanta that becomes the disquieted urban backdrop for this epic drama. Scarlett is not exceptionally booksmart, but she is instinctive and can see beyond what is desired by those around her to the pragmatic core of situations. Sadly, in the case of her longtime beau, the debonair rake Rhett Butler, her childish attachment to Ashley Wilkes is the blind spot that evolves into the black hole threatening her ultimate happiness.
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March 25, 2020I'm such a fan of letters. I read this simultaneously with Ellen Brown's book "Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind: A Bestseller's Odyssey from Atlanta to Hollywood," a great companion to her letters.
"So your fan was a Godsend. I practiced fanning myself in the most elegant manner. I also learned how to close it with the most terrific clacking noise. I found this noise most gratifying." pg.62
"Alas, I am the most normal of creatures. Sometimes when I reflect upon this, I realize I can never become truly great, not being abnormal and having no temperament." pg.62
"Well, I've made one interesting discovery. I thought when a person reached exhaustion that was as far as they could go but I've made the discovery that there is a country on the other side of exhaustion. At the risk of sounding dramatic, I'll say that it's a mighty queer and twilit country." pg.81
"Yes, I know all of this sounds incredible but then this last year has been so full of incredibilities that, with ease, I now believe six impossible things before breakfast every morning." pg.128
"Sedentary vacations are my dream of Heaven." pg.162
"My photographs turned out well. I am sending under separate cover one of incredible flatteringness." pg.340
"So your fan was a Godsend. I practiced fanning myself in the most elegant manner. I also learned how to close it with the most terrific clacking noise. I found this noise most gratifying." pg.62
"Alas, I am the most normal of creatures. Sometimes when I reflect upon this, I realize I can never become truly great, not being abnormal and having no temperament." pg.62
"Well, I've made one interesting discovery. I thought when a person reached exhaustion that was as far as they could go but I've made the discovery that there is a country on the other side of exhaustion. At the risk of sounding dramatic, I'll say that it's a mighty queer and twilit country." pg.81
"Yes, I know all of this sounds incredible but then this last year has been so full of incredibilities that, with ease, I now believe six impossible things before breakfast every morning." pg.128
"Sedentary vacations are my dream of Heaven." pg.162
"My photographs turned out well. I am sending under separate cover one of incredible flatteringness." pg.340
May 17, 2014
This is the perfect sort of book to read while sitting in one's favorite cafe-- it's like sharing a delightful, long, free-ranging conversation with a witty, lively, cheerful companion. Margaret Mitchell's letter-writing is utterly engaging, and so is she--
how dear that she wrote detailed thank-you letters whenever she got a good review! And when she encountered complaints about historical details that were "wrong" in "Gone with the Wind," she patiently wrote letters to explain the amount of scholarship that went into the details. (Just one example: when she named her characters, she read through the County rolls to assure that she didn't embarrass any contemporary families by using one of their names!)
How interesting it is to read her own opinions on her now-iconic characters and locations (not always what you'd expect!) And how eye-opening to see the problems and irritations that fame and success brought her.
A great read if you just want to spend some time with a bright, colorful individual. A must read if you are a "Gone with the Wind" fan.
how dear that she wrote detailed thank-you letters whenever she got a good review! And when she encountered complaints about historical details that were "wrong" in "Gone with the Wind," she patiently wrote letters to explain the amount of scholarship that went into the details. (Just one example: when she named her characters, she read through the County rolls to assure that she didn't embarrass any contemporary families by using one of their names!)
How interesting it is to read her own opinions on her now-iconic characters and locations (not always what you'd expect!) And how eye-opening to see the problems and irritations that fame and success brought her.
A great read if you just want to spend some time with a bright, colorful individual. A must read if you are a "Gone with the Wind" fan.
December 15, 2009
Wow! This book is on my top ten. So engrossing from many different angles: the war, southern social life, slavery, the main characters and how they represent the phases the south, particularly Georgia, went through before, during and after the war. Just a delight to read. Now on the to 70th anniversary DVD of the movie...!
August 19, 2013
I have read this book but when I was doing reports on it and I had to pass some chapters.
It was a book that you just want to read again because it about people that is looking to the future if I think.
It was a book that you just want to read again because it about people that is looking to the future if I think.
August 4, 2016
This book will always have a soft spot in my heart. It's like an old friend I pick up and read every once a while.
May 5, 2012
Another awesome read. I cried, I laughed, I could not put it down.
May 18, 2012
I have read this book at least 7 times and thoroughly enjoy it each time. There is more to Scarlett than meets the eye.
December 12, 2012
Couldn't put this one down. Definitely a girly read. I really liked the historical fiction aspect.
February 1, 2015
Fascinating, Insightful &Engrossing!!! I Loved It!!!
February 23, 2019
A well-curated series of letters that reads like an epistlatory novel. And a good one at that! Ms. Mitchell was a clever, sensible woman and I would have enjoyed being one of her contemporaries.
April 18, 2019
A really interesting read.
September 3, 2025
I loved the letters and I loved how much M.M's personality shines through in her letters. I was flabbergasted at the issues she had to deal with after the book's publication. She dealt with copyright issues overseas to people asking her to cast them in the movie that she had nothing to do with, wanting her autograph, requesting she speak at this or that, etc. On the flip side, there was still a good deal of humor in the letters!
A few of my favorite lines in the book, letter to LCDR E. John Long, June 23, 1941, requesting information on how to properly launch a battleship: "...do you have any suggestions about the technique of smashing bottles on battleships? ... Is there any kind of covering to prevent the glass from flying? Does the champagne usually spray on the sponsor as well as the battleship, so that I can expect to christen a dress as well as the U.S.S. Atlanta?"
In short, I loved the book, I wish I could have met her, and I was sad when it ended.
A few of my favorite lines in the book, letter to LCDR E. John Long, June 23, 1941, requesting information on how to properly launch a battleship: "...do you have any suggestions about the technique of smashing bottles on battleships? ... Is there any kind of covering to prevent the glass from flying? Does the champagne usually spray on the sponsor as well as the battleship, so that I can expect to christen a dress as well as the U.S.S. Atlanta?"
In short, I loved the book, I wish I could have met her, and I was sad when it ended.
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November 16, 2021https://youtu.be/d0nXe39hRWA کتاب صوتی بر باد رفته
August 20, 2025
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➕ Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind Letters is a HUGE volume of letters from the time Gone with the Wind was published until Mitchell’s death thirteen years later. It’s all about her thinking as she wrote, as she confronted fame, as she befriended fellow writers, and as Gone with the Wind became a phenomenon. Mitchell wrote to fans, to friends, to her publisher, Selznick (producer of Gone with the Wind the film), Latham (editor of Gone with the Wind the book), Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh — tons of people! The collection begins in 1936 just as Gone with the Wind is going to press, & sees Mitchell transform very quickly from someone a bit excited and impressed that her novel is being published, to someone overwhelmed by attention, fan mail, phone calls, visitors & journalists. Naturally a bit shy, she quickly went into hiding, & befriended a few of her early reviewers, including Edwin Granberry.
Since most of these letters were presented to the public, they are missing some of the incredible personality found in Dynamo Going to Waste: Letters to Allen Edee. She had personality — no question! But most of the letters are not intimate letters. They are rather letters defending her research, dealing with copyright infringement, thanking reviewers for their candor, thanking reviewers for kind words, discussing her novel. Business letters, polite letters, and some close letters to friends. She loved to read, & often mentioned her favorite books in this collection. She explains how she researched for Gone with the Wind, her thinking on some of the aspects of the movie, and her amusement when Clark Gable referred to her as “the most fascinating woman” he had “ever met.” :)
╰┈➤˗ˏˋ I ADORED THIS ONE ♡
₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊
➕ Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind Letters is a HUGE volume of letters from the time Gone with the Wind was published until Mitchell’s death thirteen years later. It’s all about her thinking as she wrote, as she confronted fame, as she befriended fellow writers, and as Gone with the Wind became a phenomenon. Mitchell wrote to fans, to friends, to her publisher, Selznick (producer of Gone with the Wind the film), Latham (editor of Gone with the Wind the book), Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh — tons of people! The collection begins in 1936 just as Gone with the Wind is going to press, & sees Mitchell transform very quickly from someone a bit excited and impressed that her novel is being published, to someone overwhelmed by attention, fan mail, phone calls, visitors & journalists. Naturally a bit shy, she quickly went into hiding, & befriended a few of her early reviewers, including Edwin Granberry.
Since most of these letters were presented to the public, they are missing some of the incredible personality found in Dynamo Going to Waste: Letters to Allen Edee. She had personality — no question! But most of the letters are not intimate letters. They are rather letters defending her research, dealing with copyright infringement, thanking reviewers for their candor, thanking reviewers for kind words, discussing her novel. Business letters, polite letters, and some close letters to friends. She loved to read, & often mentioned her favorite books in this collection. She explains how she researched for Gone with the Wind, her thinking on some of the aspects of the movie, and her amusement when Clark Gable referred to her as “the most fascinating woman” he had “ever met.” :)
╰┈➤˗ˏˋ I ADORED THIS ONE ♡
₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊
March 23, 2010
Gone With the Wind is a sweeping, romantic story about the American Civil War from the point of view of the Confederacy. In particular it is the story of Scarlett O'Hara, a headstrong Southern belle who survives the hardships of the war and afterwards manages to establish a successful business by capitalizing on the struggle to rebuild the South. Throughout the book she is motivated by her unfulfilled love for Ashley Wilkes, an honorable man who is happily married. After a series of marriages and failed relationships with other men, notably the dashing Rhett Butler, she has a change of heart and determines to win Rhett back.
November 22, 2009
I first read GWTW when I was in the eighth grade and became consumed with it. I loved all things GWTW. I had a life-sized poster of Clark Gable as Rhett in my bedroom for years. I re-read the book several years ago and I think I enjoyed it more as an adult. I was still rapidly turning pages waiting to see if Rhett and Scarlett ended up together.
March 10, 2010
I gave this book a two star rating because I didn't really like the book. I'm not into books that talk about slaves because you can't understand them. Also I didn't like the whole theme. It seemed too boring and it didn't have any exciting parts. I mostly like adventurous books or horse books. This book was very boring on how I read it.
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June 1, 2012one of the greatest American novels ever written. its entertainment and history class all wrapped up together in a spicy meatball named scarlet. most of the reviews I've seen were from women, and there are some chick-lit aspects to it, but this is a book for all lovers of good literature bothe male and female.
September 19, 2011
I loved this book. I was totally taken by the Scarlett's thoughts and the honesty of who she really is. I love the dip into the history behind Georgia. Would love to read some more about this time in history.
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