ATLANTA — Exactly 90 years ago, on June 30, 1936, the iconic “Gone with the Wind” was first published.
Margaret Mitchell‘s more than 1,000-page novel was written and takes place in Atlanta, depicting the city during the Civil War.
It tells the story of Scarlett O’Hara, the daughter of wealthy plantation owners, and her suitor, Rhett Butler, following the destruction of Atlanta during Sherman’s March to the Sea.
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Mitchell wrote the Pulitzer Prize winner during the late 1920s and early 1930s in a tiny three-room flat along Peachtree Street in midtown Atlanta. For years, the apartment building as a whole has been known as the Margaret Mitchell House.
“People wanted to see the place where the novel was written. It’s pretty amazing because it’s a very big book written in a very small space,” local historian Howard Pousner said.
More than an estimated 30 million copies of the book have been sold.
In 1939, it was produced into a film of the same name starring Vivien Leigh as O’Hara and Clark Gable as Butler. It’s widely considered among the greatest movies of all time.
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Actress Hattie McDaniel became the first African American to win an Oscar when she won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mammy.
The film version also won the Oscar for Best Picture over films like “The Wizard of Oz.”
In 2024, several of Mitchell’s personal items, including a chair, footstool, china, photo with movie star Clark Gable, ticket stubs from the film’s 1939 premiere and more, went up for auction.
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