Description:

Leigh Vivien 1913 - 1967 Vivien Leigh signed "Gone With the Wind: Motion Picture Edition" with original dust jacket



Hardcover book, Gone With The Wind: Motion Picture Edition by Margaret Mitchell (The Macmillan Company, New York, 1940), signed "Vivien Leigh" in blue fountain pen on front end paper, in rapid and light script connecting first and last names. Red book covers with original dust jacket depicting Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler embracing in plantation garden, 391 pages, 7.125" x 9.75". In fine condition, with minor toning to paper edges, and some weakened binding in front. Dust jacket shows expected wear but is enclosed in protective Mylar plastic sleeve.

The film adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's 1936 bestselling novel Gone with the Wind was released in 1939. Mitchell's novel was a stupendous commercial success; it is estimated that around 2 million copies of the book were sold during the three years between publication and filming. This handsomely illustrated Movie Edition features many full-color photo stills from the movie, "offering a preview for those who have not seen the picture, [and] recalling thrilling moments for those who have", as the publisher's preface glows. This book was probably a post-film souvenir presented to the film's star, Vivien Leigh.



Vivien Leigh (1913-1967) had had some film exposure before Gone With the Wind, but the Civil War saga definitely made her an international star. Before accepting her first movie role as an extra, Leigh studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She achieved success in English theatrical productions before trying the movies in the mid-to-late 1930s. Leigh was relatively unknown among American audiences, but she was convinced that she would win the part. Competition for film roles was intense; over 1,400 potential Scarlett's were interviewed, thirty-one were screen-tested in black and white, and two finalists -- Vivien Leigh and Paulette Goddard -- were screen-tested in Technicolor. Vivien Leigh later won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of the Southern belle with the "arresting face", pale green eyes, and 17-inch diameter waist. Leigh would star in over ten other movies over the next twenty-five years, but none of her future roles were as instantly recognizable as Scarlett O'Hara.

Margaret Mitchell (1900-1949) toiled over her only major novel Gone With The Wind for almost ten years.

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June 14, 2017 10:30 AM EDT
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