Rebecca, a 1938 Gothic novel by English author Dame Daphne du Maurier has never been out of print since its publication. It concerns an unnamed young woman who impetuously marries a wealthy widower, only to discover that he and his household are haunted by the memory of his late first wife, the title character. Rebecca sold 2.8 million copies between its publication in 1938 and 1965. It has been adapted numerous times for stage and screen, and the film, Rebecca (1940), directed by Alfred Hitchcock, won the Academy Award for Best Picture.