--- product_id: 22094685 title: "Margaret Mitchell & John Marsh: The Love Story Behind Gone With the Wind" price: "R1306" currency: ZAR in_stock: true reviews_count: 9 url: https://www.desertcart.co.za/products/22094685-margaret-mitchell-and-john-marsh-the-love-story-behind-gone store_origin: ZA region: South Africa --- # Pulitzer Prize-winning story origin Intimate personal correspondence 200+ unpublished letters Margaret Mitchell & John Marsh: The Love Story Behind Gone With the Wind **Price:** R1306 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Summary > 📚 Unlock the untold love story behind a timeless classic — because some stories deserve to be legendary. ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Margaret Mitchell & John Marsh: The Love Story Behind Gone With the Wind - **How much does it cost?** R1306 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.za](https://www.desertcart.co.za/products/22094685-margaret-mitchell-and-john-marsh-the-love-story-behind-gone) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Anniversary Edition:** Celebrate 75 years of Gone With the Wind with a fresh, deeply researched perspective. - • **Pulitzer Prize Roots:** Explore the intimate partnership that fueled the creation of one of America’s most iconic novels. - • **Emotional & Authentic:** Experience the heartfelt story of devotion, creativity, and sacrifice behind the scenes. - • **Unearthed Private Letters:** Dive into 200+ never-before-seen letters revealing the true love story behind a literary classic. - • **Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Insights:** Discover how John Marsh’s editorial genius shaped the masterpiece you thought you knew. ## Overview This used book offers a meticulously researched biography of Margaret Mitchell and John Marsh, revealing their extraordinary 24-year marriage and creative partnership that led to the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Gone With the Wind. Featuring over 200 unpublished letters and exclusive interviews, this edition commemorates the 75th anniversary of the novel’s publication, providing rare insights into the emotional and editorial collaboration that shaped a literary masterpiece. ## Description Based on almost 200 previously unpublished letters and extensive interviews with their closest associates, Walker's biography of Margaret Mitchell and her husband, John Marsh, offers a new look into a devoted marriage and fascinating partnership that ultimately created a Pulitzer Prize–winning novel. This edition of Walker's biography celebrates the seventy-fifth anniversary of the publication of Gone With the Wind in 1936. In lively extracts from their letters to family and friends, John and Margaret, who also went by Peggy, describe the stormy years of their courtship, their bohemian lifestyle as a young married couple, the arduous but fulfilling years when Peggy was writing her famous novel, the thrill of its acceptance for publication and its literary success, and the excitement of the making of the movie. In telling the private side of this twenty-four-year marriage, author Marianne Walker reveals a long-suspected truth: Gone With the Wind might have never been written were it not for John Marsh. He was Peggy's best friend and constant champion, and he became her editor, proofreader, researcher, business manager, and the inspiration and motivation behind her writing. At every point, including the turbulent years of Mitchell's first marriage to Red Upshaw, it was John who provided the intellectual stimulation, emotional support, and editorial insights that allowed Peggy to channel her talents into the creation of her astounding Civil War epic. From years of meticulous research, Marianne Walker details the intimate and moving love story between a husband and wife, and between a writer and her editor. Review: A MUST-READ FOR ANYONE WHO LOVED GWTW - This book is an absolute must-read for those of us who loved "Gone With the Wind." There are several other biographies of the book's author, Margaret Mitchell, but none that deal this extensively with the extraordinary relationship with her husband, the late John Marsh. It is an extraordinary and totally unique love story like no other that I have ever read. And that very special relationship explains so much about the book and the movie and how they came to be. I loaned the book to a friend who also loved the movie, and they were equally fascinated. By developing a close, personal relationship with John's surviving family members, the author was able to convince them to share enormously insightful letters from Margaret that she had asked them to destroy. Both Margaret and John had extensive newspaper backgrounds. So the author's revelation that a number of people -- including their newspaper colleague and friend Ralph McGill, former editor of the competing Atlanta Constitution -- were convinced that John actually wrote some parts of the book is especially interesting. . . and that Margaret herself was so worried about that speculation that her will stipulated that John should burn the original manuscript after her death. .Evidence produced by this author seems to strongly suggest that John, with his professional editing experience, undoubtedly did help Margaret by doing some rather extensive editing -- and that he may indeed have suggested some of the wording. But the author leaves little doubt that the sweeping story of the Old South and of General Sherman's burning of Atlanta, and the colorful characters, and the amazing grasp of Southern history was all Margaret's doing. . The book both opens and closes with the utterly heart-breaking scene where John (after Margaret's death), amidst his tears, feeds the original manuscript of one of the world's best-known books into a trash burner in the backyard and then collapses in grief, sobbing inconsolably, as the priceless manuscript is consumed by the flames. The scene -- which serves as bookends for the story of their life together -- is gut-wrenching.and unforgettable . . . just as gut-wrenching as the closing scene in the movie when Rhett Butler walks out of the broken-hearted Scarlett O'Hara's life, and she says "I'll go home to Tara. For, after all, tomorrow is another day.".. Review: Much better than Southern Daughter - I read this right after finishing Southern Daughter and I thought it was a much better book. The love story was very touching and I didn't get a sense of this profound and devoted union at all in Southern Daughter. While both books pointed out the flaws and shortcomings of this famous author this one handled it with much more truth and compassion in my opinion. It was much more intimately researched and had lots of charming letters I have not seen elsewhere. I came away from this book very fond of Peggy and John and Southern Daughter made them unlikable which was unfortunate and in my opinion not true. ## Features - Used Book in Good Condition ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #2,728,179 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1,751 in Historical Germany Biographies #2,527 in Journalist Biographies #3,782 in Historical British Biographies | | Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 71 Reviews | ## Images ![Margaret Mitchell & John Marsh: The Love Story Behind Gone With the Wind - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81PUbCkI73L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A MUST-READ FOR ANYONE WHO LOVED GWTW *by C***4 on May 2, 2016* This book is an absolute must-read for those of us who loved "Gone With the Wind." There are several other biographies of the book's author, Margaret Mitchell, but none that deal this extensively with the extraordinary relationship with her husband, the late John Marsh. It is an extraordinary and totally unique love story like no other that I have ever read. And that very special relationship explains so much about the book and the movie and how they came to be. I loaned the book to a friend who also loved the movie, and they were equally fascinated. By developing a close, personal relationship with John's surviving family members, the author was able to convince them to share enormously insightful letters from Margaret that she had asked them to destroy. Both Margaret and John had extensive newspaper backgrounds. So the author's revelation that a number of people -- including their newspaper colleague and friend Ralph McGill, former editor of the competing Atlanta Constitution -- were convinced that John actually wrote some parts of the book is especially interesting. . . and that Margaret herself was so worried about that speculation that her will stipulated that John should burn the original manuscript after her death. .Evidence produced by this author seems to strongly suggest that John, with his professional editing experience, undoubtedly did help Margaret by doing some rather extensive editing -- and that he may indeed have suggested some of the wording. But the author leaves little doubt that the sweeping story of the Old South and of General Sherman's burning of Atlanta, and the colorful characters, and the amazing grasp of Southern history was all Margaret's doing. . The book both opens and closes with the utterly heart-breaking scene where John (after Margaret's death), amidst his tears, feeds the original manuscript of one of the world's best-known books into a trash burner in the backyard and then collapses in grief, sobbing inconsolably, as the priceless manuscript is consumed by the flames. The scene -- which serves as bookends for the story of their life together -- is gut-wrenching.and unforgettable . . . just as gut-wrenching as the closing scene in the movie when Rhett Butler walks out of the broken-hearted Scarlett O'Hara's life, and she says "I'll go home to Tara. For, after all, tomorrow is another day.".. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Much better than Southern Daughter *by B***E on January 9, 2025* I read this right after finishing Southern Daughter and I thought it was a much better book. The love story was very touching and I didn't get a sense of this profound and devoted union at all in Southern Daughter. While both books pointed out the flaws and shortcomings of this famous author this one handled it with much more truth and compassion in my opinion. It was much more intimately researched and had lots of charming letters I have not seen elsewhere. I came away from this book very fond of Peggy and John and Southern Daughter made them unlikable which was unfortunate and in my opinion not true. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Margaret Mitchell fan indeed! *by D***J on June 11, 2018* One of the greatest books ever written was "Gone with the Wind." This story about Margaret Mitchell the author and her second husband John Marsh, is delightful. I have heard negative feedback. However, I tend to go with my own "I can't put it down" feeling as I am reading. This is one of the few books that I have read in the past 5 years. I had to read it from cover to cover. I also decide to make it one of my own. I will share with other's as several of us borrow books back and forth. Worth a read it you are a fan of "Gone with the Wind," books about the south or want to learn more about Margaret. I loved how she used pieces of the book as a furniture leveler. Very entertaining. A real pager turner! --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.za/products/22094685-margaret-mitchell-and-john-marsh-the-love-story-behind-gone](https://www.desertcart.co.za/products/22094685-margaret-mitchell-and-john-marsh-the-love-story-behind-gone) --- *Product available on Desertcart South Africa* *Store origin: ZA* *Last updated: 2026-09-26*