BEFORE SCARLETT
Girlhood Writings of Margaret Mitchell
Margaret Mitchell | Author
Jane Eskridge | Editor
Mary Rose Taylor | Preface
$21.95NOW $11.00 hardcover
- 240 pages | hardcover| 24 photographs
- 1-892514-62-1
- Southern Literature | Juvenalia
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
“A major discovery whose significance is great. It demonstrates a prodigious talent at such a young age.”—Mary Ellen Brooks, Hargrett Rare Book & Manuscript Library
the book
"I want to be famous in some way-a speaker, artist, writer, soldier, fighter, stateswoman, or anything nearly. If I were a boy, I would try for West Point, if I could make it, or well I'd be a prize fighter--anything for the thrills. I think there is a piece in the Bible that says 'knock and it shall be opened unto you, ask and thou shalt receive.' Of course, I'm sensible enough to know that I've got to try as well as ask, and I have tried, in my way, to do the best, and heaven knows that I asked enough to be the smartest person on earth-only I'm not. Quite a difference. Well, here's one more try for 1915." —Margaret Mitchell, age 15 (journal entry)
It's a sultry summer morning during the dog days of August, and Jane Eskridge and Wailes Thomas are standing knee-deep in over sixty years worth of accumulated detritus in the Atlanta home that Thomas has recently inherited from his mother. The excitement of sorting through ancient mementos has abated considerably in the last few days amidst the oppressive heat, but the pair forge onward, on the slim hope that they'll uncover work by Thomas's late uncle, 1950s portrait painted Glascock Reynolds. Jane delves into one of five boxes lines up before her and produces a stack of old yellowed letters, signed by "May Belle" (May Belle was Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell's mother), which Jane puts aside to examine later.
"The next thing I pulled out looked like a small green address book," Jane recalls. "I opened it up, and on the inside front cover, in childlike handwriting, are the words 'Margaret Mitchell, Peachtree Street.' I screamed."
She has discovered an unpublished collection of journals and short stories, written by Margaret Mitchell between the ages of 9 and 17. Jane's first inclination was to share the works with the rest of the world. With Thomas's consent, she took the little books home with her to Greensboro, North Carolina, and embarked upon an extensive transcription process that would culminate several years later in publication of the collection by Hill Street Press.
"The significance of making these materials available to the public is great, because it allows people to see Mitchell as someone who had the passion for writing as a very early age. More so, it demonstrates a prodigious talent at such a young age," says Brooks.
Eskridge is quick to acknowledge the Margaret Mitchell estate for consenting to allow publication. "We were so excited that they agreed with our vision of sharing Margaret's profound talent as a girl." Subsequently, Hill Street Press entered into discussions with representatives of the estate seeking permission to include a few other extant childhood writings by Mitchell, as well as photographs, and they agreed.
The journal entries and fiction pieces paint a picture of a precocious, imaginative young girl growing up in early twentieth century Atlanta, a member of a family that was considered part of the city's "old guard."
The Mitchell family lived in a sprawling, two-story Victorian home with a deep, cool porch where Margaret liked to sit and read. When she was 12, Margaret's family moved to a Colonial Revival-style mansion situated on a fashionable stretch of Peachtree Street. The budding writer made fast friends with a tight-knit group of boys and girls in her new neighborhood and school, and many of her writings were about the exploits of her gang. Later, at the Washington Seminary, school for girls, Mitchell was president of the literary society, literary editor of the yearbook, and acted in several drama club productions.
It's really amazing, the way Margaret could write without making corrections, even at such a young age," says Eskridge. "She was just a wonderful storyteller, and this collection fleshes in parts of her life that nobody has ever had access to before. I think it will inspire many people to go back and read Gone With the Wind, and learn more about Mitchell as a person. I especially hope young adults enjoy the book, too and draw inspiration from Margaret's early frustrations vis-à-vis the ultimate success she enjoyed. Hopefully, this collection will inspire the next Margaret Mitchell."
The collection--which includes several western stories, a fairy tale, a shipwreck adventure, two Civil War stories, a mystery, an Indian story, and journal entries detailing daily events like a school play and a trip to the beach-has important implications for everyday readers and scholars, says Mary Ellen Brooks, director of the Hargrett Rare Book & Manuscript Library at the University of Georgia. Brooks, who oversees a large collection of Mitchell papers and ephemera, is credited with brining the collection to the attention of Hill Street Press. Also instrumental in finding a publisher for the writings is Mary Rose Taylor, director of the Margaret Mitchell House and Museum in Atlanta, who has contributed a preface to the book.
the editor
the praise
"Just how good a journalist Mitchell was is evident here."—Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Offers insights into Mitchell's development as a writer and a look at the cultural context in which she lived."—Booklist
also of interest: Margaret Mitchell, Reporter
also of interest: Before Scarlett: Girlhood Writings of Margaret itchell
also of interest: Margaret Mitchell House & Museum