Margaret Mitchell family papers
Collection DescriptionHistorical Note"Margaret Mitchell was the author of Gone With the Wind, one of the most popular books of all time. The novel was published in 1936 and sold more than a million copies in the first six months, a phenomenal feat considering it was the Great Depression era. More than 30 million copies of this Civil War-era masterpiece have been sold worldwide in thirty-eight countries. It has been translated into twenty-seven languages. Approximately 250,000 copies are still sold each year. Shortly after the book's publication the movie rights were sold to David O. Selznick for $50,000, the highest amount ever paid for a manuscript up to that time. In 1937 Margaret Mitchell was awarded the Pulitzer Prize...On August 11, 1949, Mitchell and her husband decided to go to a movie, A Canterbury Tale, at the Peachtree Art Theatre. Just as they started to cross Peachtree Street, near 13th Street, a speeding taxi crested the hill. Mitchell stepped back; Marsh stepped forward. The driver applied the brakes, skidded, and hit Mitchell. She was rushed to Grady Hospital but never regained consciousness. During the five days before she died, crowds waited outside for news. U.S. president Harry Truman, Georgia governor Herman Talmadge, and Atlanta mayor William B. Hartsfield all asked to be kept informed of her condition. Special phone lines were installed at Grady Hospital, and friends manned the lines in four-hour shifts. Mitchell died on August 16, 1949, and was buried in Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta." - Taken from Margaret Mitchell (1900-1949) in the New Georgia Encyclopedia. Scope and ContentThe collection consists of the papers of Margaret Mitchell and the Mitchell family from 1852-1975. The papers include correspondence, clippings, business and legal documents, research materials, desk calendars (1939-1949), photographs of Mitchell and the Mitchell family, estate documents, and scrapbooks and ephemera. The bulk of the collection (1936-1949) concerns the publication of Gone with the Wind (GWTW), the effect of its publication, and the production of the motion picture by Selznick International Pictures. Organization and ArrangementArranged into 8 series, some with several subseries: correspondence; press and publicity; condolences; Gone With the Wind materials; business and legal papers; personal and family; estate documents; and scrapbooks and ephemera. Administrative InformationPreferred CitationMargaret Mitchell family papers, ms905, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries. Terms Governing Use and ReproductionLetters written by Margaret Mitchell may not be reproduced without permission from the Mitchell Literary Estate. Finding Aid PublicationFinding aid prepared on: 2009 April 10. Related Materials and SubjectsSubject TermsRelated Collections in this RepositoryFor related materials regarding Margaret Mitchell located in the Hargrett Library, see also the following collections: Margaret Mitchell scrapbook, ms1614; Margaret Mitchell letter to Marjorie Rawlings, ms2444; Miss Ellen Elliott, ms2513; Margaret Mitchell photographs, ms3031; Mitchell-Marsh family papers, ms3060; Margaret Mitchell letters, ms3326; Margaret Mitchell letter to Mr. Rubin, ms3600m. |
Special Collections Libraries
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602-1641