"Gone with the Wind" - the book - turns 75

"Gone with the Wind" consistently shows up in polls as the second most popular book among Americans, behind only the Bible.

The now iconic novel was first published 75 years ago this month, and won a Pulitzer Prize.

The 1939 film version won ten Academy Awards.

CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann reports the book was an immediate sensation for author Margaret Mitchell - and the saga of love, loss and survival in the Old South before, during and after the Civil War is one that very much captures hearts and minds to this day.

In Marietta, Ga., a museum dedicated to "Gone With the Wind" has a true first edition of Mitchell's book, signed by the author, that museum Director Connie Southerland says is worth $18,000.

Scholars recently found the last four chapters of Mitchell's original manuscript - including Mitchell's hand-written changes - and Rhett Butler's famous final line. Or something close to it.

The typed manuscript says, "My dear, I don't give a damn."

Of course, Clark Gable's line in the movie in his role as Rhett is, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

Ellen F. Brown, co-author of "Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind: A Bestseller's Odyssey from Atlanta to Hollywood." is the Mitchell scholar who found that partial manuscript.

Brown told "Early Show on Saturday Morning" co-anchor Russ Mitchell how she found the gem, and about her unprecedented access to a treasure trove of historic "GWTW" material.

She also revealed much about Mitchell, a woman she described as "saucy," and mentioned some key differences between the movie and the book. Brown also explained how Mitchell's biggest obstacle in writing "Gone with the Wind" was - Mitchell herself.