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Gone with the Wind First Edition Guide — Identification, Values, and Margaret Mitchell's Civil War Epic

Approx. 3 min read · 1 May 2026

Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind (1936) was one of the great publishing phenomena of the twentieth century — a novel that sold a million copies in its first six months, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937, inspired the most commercially successful film of its era, and has remained continuously in print for nearly a century. Published by The Macmillan Company, the first edition is one of the most complex American first editions to identify due to multiple binding states and issue points, and is a staple of serious American first edition collections.

Publication History

Publisher: The Macmillan Company, New York

Publication date: June 30, 1936

Price: $3.00

First printing: Approximately 10,000 copies (exhausted almost immediately)

Sales: Over a million copies sold in the first year. The novel was the bestselling American novel of 1936 and 1937.

Pulitzer Prize: 1937

Film: The 1939 MGM film starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh is the highest-grossing film in history when adjusted for inflation.

Mitchell’s only novel: Mitchell published no other novels. She died in 1949 after being struck by a car in Atlanta.

First Edition Identification

Copyright Page

The first edition/first printing states:

Published June, 1936

with no additional printing information. Second and subsequent printings state “Second Printing” (sometimes with month/year).

The Complex Issue Points

Gone with the Wind first edition identification is more complex than most modern firsts due to multiple documented binding and textual variants within the first printing:

“Published June, 1936” on the copyright page — essential. Any additional printing lines indicate a later printing.

The page 9 error. On the first edition, page 9 is incorrectly numbered. This was corrected in later printings.

Binding cloth. First printing copies appear in grey cloth. The exact shade and texture of the cloth have been subject to extensive bibliographic analysis.

Dust Jacket

The first edition dust jacket features:

Front panel: Red and grey design with “Gone with the Wind” in large text and “Margaret Mitchell” below.

Price: $3.00 on the front flap.

The jacket is scarce in Fine condition. Given the novel’s enormous popularity, copies were heavily read and jackets were frequently damaged or discarded.

Market Values

First printing with dust jacket:

Fine/Near Fine condition: $20,000–$50,000
Very Good condition: $10,000–$25,000
Good condition: $5,000–$15,000

First printing without dust jacket:

Fine condition: $500–$2,000

Signed copies: Mitchell signed books, though she became overwhelmed by the demands of celebrity. Signed first editions are scarce and command significant premiums — typically $20,000–$50,000+.

Inscribed copies: Mitchell’s inscriptions and letters are collected avidly. Association copies (inscribed to friends, family, or notable figures) are particularly valuable.

Collecting Notes

The “May 1936” variant. Some copies of what appears to be the first printing have a copyright page reading “Published May, 1936” rather than “June, 1936.” This is a pre-publication review copy and is rarer than the standard first printing. These review copies are extremely collectible.

Later printings dominate the market. Gone with the Wind was printed in enormous quantities from the second printing onward. The vast majority of copies available are later printings. Always check the copyright page.

Book club editions. Book-of-the-Month Club editions were widely distributed. These have different bindings and lack the jacket price.

The film tie-in. After the 1939 film, later printings featured movie tie-in jacket art. These are later printings, not first editions.

Mitchell’s papers and memorabilia. Beyond the book itself, Mitchell’s letters, manuscripts, and personal items are collected by institutions and private collectors. The Margaret Mitchell House in Atlanta is a museum dedicated to the author.

The sequel question. Scarlett (1991) by Alexandra Ripley was an authorized sequel. It is not part of the Mitchell first edition collecting field.

Condition challenges. The grey cloth boards of the first printing are prone to soiling and fading. The size of the novel (over 1,000 pages) means the spine is frequently cracked or damaged from use. Finding copies that have not been heavily read is difficult.