What is the exact publication date of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Answer
July 11, 1960
The exact publication date of To Kill a Mockingbird is July 11, 1960.
J. B. Lippincott & Co. published Harper Lee’s novel in the United States on that date. The book was released as a Southern Gothic coming-of-age story set in the fictional Maycomb County, Alabama, and narrated by Jean Louise “Scout” Finch as she reflects on events from her childhood.
The novel became an immediate commercial and critical success. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961 and eventually became one of the most widely taught American novels. Its publication also launched Lee into extraordinary fame, despite her strong preference for privacy and her reluctance to give interviews.
Readers sometimes confuse the publication date with the film’s release in 1962, or with the date of Go Set a Watchman, which appeared in 2015. July 11, 1960, refers to the original publication of To Kill a Mockingbird, not a later paperback edition, reprint, adaptation, or anniversary event.