American author (1900–1949) whose single novel, Gone With the Wind, became one of the best-sellers of all time and spawned one of the most fabled movies in Hollywood history. She died after being struck by a speeding car at the age of 48. TLS signed “Margaret Mitchell Morse,” one page, 7.25 x 10.5, personal letterhead, June 29, 1948. Letter to David Grunbaum at the Bookman Literary Agency, in Copenhagen, Denmark. In full: “I received this morning your letter of June 23rd, the Danish royalty statement and check. This covers the sale of five copies of ‘Gone With the Wind’ in 1947 and the check is for $2.59. Thank you so much for them both. It was nice of you to say ‘it’s a pity that there has been sold so few copies,’ but I do not feel that way. The sale of ‘Gone With the Wind’ in Denmark has been something that will always make me proud. Your country is not a large one but the sale of my book there has been wonderful. I think Mr. Hasselbalch is a very fine publisher and I will always be grateful to him and to you for your efforts in behalf of my book.” In fine condition, with a small star-shaped rubber stamp to upper blank area, and some mild edge toning, primarily along top.
Mitchell’s landmark tale was first published in Denmark in September 1937 and in Germany the following month. Although German leaders initially promoted what they saw as a less-than-flattering portrait of America, it became obvious that the European resistance movement was finding inspiration in the South’s reaction to the Federal occupation. The Nazis banned ‘Gone With the Wind’ throughout the Third Reich, including Denmark, which had fallen in 1940. With the war long over in 1948, Mitchell shows no disappointment here that only five copies of the novel had been sold in the country in 1947. “The sale of ‘Gone With the Wind’ in Denmark has been something that will always make me proud,” she writes. She echoed that sentiment in a 1947 letter to a US State Department official as she commented on the significance of her book in a post-war world: ‘Every country has had its recent experience with war and occupation and defeat, and people in each country apply the experiences of the characters of Gone With the Wind to themselves.’ Beautiful correspondence with a direct reference to her literary masterpiece. Pre-certified PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.
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