First impression
1936At a glance
Points of issue
- copyright page"Published May, 1936" with no other printing listed→ first printing
First edition
Hardback
Gone With the Wind (1936)
Publisher Macmillan
Year 1936
Identification points are listed only where two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 28 Oct 2026.
Market value
What decides the price
- It is the first edition, which is the one collectors want.
- The first printing is told from later ones by 1 point of issue listed below.
- The original dust jacket carries much of the price for a book of this age; its condition matters as much as the book's.
- Condition is graded separately for book and jacket, from Fine down to Poor.
- Recorded sales
- 2
Price history
2 recorded sales
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Quick answer
- How do I identify a Gone With the Wind first edition?
- Check these points. Copyright page: "Published May, 1936" with no other printing listed. Each point is confirmed by at least two independent sources.
- Who published the Gone With the Wind first edition?
- Macmillan, New York, in 1936, in hardback.
How to identify this edition
Grey cloth. The first printing's copyright page dates publication to May 1936 and lists no further printings, although official publication slipped to 30 June 1936 after the Book of the Month Club chose it for July. The jacket of the first printing is priced $3.00. UNVERIFIED: the first printing ran to 10,000 copies; later printings read "Published June, 1936"; the Book of the Month Club had its own printing. UNVERIFIED: the $3.00 price is on the front flap, and the first state jacket's back panel carries a Macmillan spring novels advertisement listing this title in its right hand column.
How Macmillan marked its first editions
- This guide covers only the American firm, The Macmillan Company of New York (later Macmillan Publishing Co.); the British Macmillan has its own practice.
- Before mid 1936 there is no "First printing" line. For a first printing, the year on the title page should match the latest year on the copyright page.
- From mid 1936 a first printing carries a printing statement on the copyright page. A further line beneath it, such as a second printing or revised edition note, means the copy is not a first.
- A number row was added later: two guides place it in the 1970s and one after 1979. The "1" must be present for a first printing.
- Book club copies (a general tell for US trade houses; no mark specific to this house was found): a jacket flap with no printed price is the commonest sign, though a printed price does not on its own rule out a club copy. Also look for a small blind stamp, such as a dot or square, pressed into the rear board, and for a book that is smaller and more cheaply made than the trade edition.
Read the full guide to Macmillan first editions, decade by decade, and check your copy's copyright page against it. Our number line decoder reads the printing from the row of numbers.
Compare yours
The title page
This is the title page of a first edition copy. Compare yours: the imprint at the foot, the publisher, place and date, should match exactly. A later printing or edition usually changes the date or adds a line.
Title page of the first edition (1936). Scan: Internet Archive, via the Internet Archive. Public domain in the UK (author died before 1956); may still be in copyright in the US.
Printing by printing
Printings and states
Frequently asked questions
How do I identify a Gone With the Wind first edition?
Check these points. Copyright page: "Published May, 1936" with no other printing listed. Each point is confirmed by at least two independent sources.
Who published the Gone With the Wind first edition?
Macmillan, New York, in 1936, in hardback.
Where these facts come from
- Gone With The Wind, The First Edition Rare Books (thefirstedition.com)
- Margaret Mitchell first edition, first printing of Gone with the Wind, Nate D. Sanders Auctions, 2026 (natedsanders.com)
- Gone with the Wind (novel), Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
Points of issue are listed only where at least two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 28 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.
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