Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, First Edition, Later Printing, 1937

Mitchell, Margaret, Gone with the Wind. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937. First edition, thirty-third printing. Octavo.  Handsomely rebound in full navy Moroccan leather with gilt tooling to the boards, raised bands, gilt titles, and stamps to the spine, new marbled endpapers, and a custom slipcase.

Presented is a first edition, thirty-third printing of Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. This later printing was published by The Macmillan Company in New York, in 1937, just a year after the book's first printing in 1936. Mitchell’s only novel, the book gained impressive attention and was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1937 and was later adapted into a motion picture in December of 1939. 

Gone with the Wind was the fastest selling novel in American publishing history, with 50,000 copies sold in a single day. The book ranked as the most popular American fiction novel during the first two years of its release. The novel's release, originally scheduled for May of 1936, was delayed until June pending the Book of the Month Club schedule. Before a decision had been finalized, 10,000 copies were printed with the erroneous May release notice, the true first editions, first printings. The book then went through many print runs, sometimes two or three within the same month, to fulfill public demand. 

Set in the southern state of Georgia, Mitchell’s story follows character Katie Scarlett O’Hara during the Civil War. As both a coming-of-age and historical romance novel, Gone with the Wind spoke to Mitchell’s contemporaries in a relatable way. The historical accuracy of the piece produced a compound description of Civil War battles and slave-owner relationships. Today, it is recognized as a crucial piece of American literature for its southern view of the Civil War and the gravity of its themes.

Mitchell summed up the novel’s theme after the book’s first release: “If Gone with the Wind has a theme it is that of survival...Some people survive; others don't. What qualities are in those who fight their way through triumphantly that are lacking in those that go under? I only know that survivors used to call that quality 'gumption.' So I wrote about people who had gumption and people who didn't.”

CONDITION:

This first edition, later printing book is beautifully rebound in full navy Moroccan leather. The spine features gilt tooling, decorative motifs, and five raised bands. New marbled endpaper. The book is in very good condition for its age, with only slight toning of the pages from age. There are no signs of foxing, tears, or losses. The book is housed in a custom-built archival navy cloth slipcase with a colorful photo of the 1939 film poster inlaid on the front.

Book Dimensions: 8 3/4"H x 6 3/8"W x 2 1/8"D. Slipcase Dimensions: 9 1/8"H x 6 1/2"W x 2 5/8"D.