231

Sylvia Plath (1932-1963)

The Bell Jar. First American Edition.

New York: Harper & Row, 1971.
First American edition, octavo; bound in publisher's maroon cloth-backed boards, spine lettered in silver and white, pink endpapers; in the publisher's first issue dust jacket with "0471" code on inside front flap (price partially clipped, creasing, some foxing to flap edges; gentle creasing to a couple later leaves; front board stained, extremities rubbed, front endpapers lightly faded, spotting at block edges); 8 x 5 ½ in. 

Originally published under the pseudonym "Victoria Lucas" in London by Heinemann in 1963, The Bell Jar was released just before Plath's death. The book was eventually published in the United States in 1971, garnering much attention as a semi-autobiographical narrative. Today, it is considered a masterwork of feminist literature, dealing with themes of societal oppression, mental health, and gender roles. 

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