Sylvia Plath – The Bell Jar – First US Edition

A first US edition of Sylvia Plath’s only novel, which she first published in England under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas in 1963.

It was released in her native USA seven years later, under her own name, and tells the story of a young woman who undergoes a mental breakdown and descends into insanity. The work was seen as semi-autobiographical, reflecting Plath’s own struggles with mental illness.

Includes a biographical note of the author by Lois Ames. With eight previously unpublished sketches by the author.

Hardback, bound in lavender-coloured cloth with the original jacket, not price-clipped, showing the original $6.95 price. Some edgewear and small chips to the jacket. Faded tape marks to endpapers. No writing inside. Binding tight and square. A very nice example.

First edition, first impression. Published by Harper and Row in New York in 1971. 296 pages.