First edition, May 1936
Presentation copy inscribed to Francesca and Gordon Marsh,
Margaret Mitchell's brother-in-law and his wife.
L97.18.2

The novel almost never saw publication. Only after a comment from a friend angered her did Margaret Mitchell let a publisher have the novel. There are only a few autographed copies of Gone with the Wind. As it became more and more popular, she had to refuse requests for autographs. For more than sixty years, Gone with the Wind has averaged more than 250,000 copies sold each year, with worldwide sales reaching over 30 million copies. A good novel today that reaches 40,000 copies sold might make the bestseller list. The only hardback book to sell more copies than Gone with the Wind is The Bible. Published by Macmillan in 1936, GWTW sold 1,383,000 copies in its first year, and was a bestseller for 21 consecutive months.