I had quite a different post planned for today, but then the following was made known to me so I called an audible... You'll get today's planned post next Thursday...
Bonhams Knightsbridge is holding a Fine Books, Atlases and Manuscripts auction on 16 March 2016.
There are six lots of Sylvia Plath items, Lots 140-145. These are part of that big 2 December 2014 auction that Sotheby's failed to sell. Back in November 2015 Bonhams held a very successful sale of a couple of lots from this private collection (results).
The lots are:
Lot 140
Sylvia Plath
Autograph drafts, notes, drawings and doodles for her story "Stardust", comprising a page of fairy sketches (with three red lipstick kisses applied by the author), [1946-47]
£4,000 - 6,000 / US$ 5,800 - 8,600
Lot 141
Sylvia Plath
Birthday card to her mother with autograph message signed ("much love to my favourite mummy! your Sivvy"), with a long typed letter within, Friday, 24 April [1953]
£2,000 - 3,000 / US$ 2,900 - 4,300
Lot 142
Sylvia Plath
Collection of typescripts of nine early poems, including "Ice Age", "In Memoriam", "Incident", "Crossing the Equinox" and others
The other poems are: "I Have Found the Perfect World", "Have You Forgotten?", "Humoresque", "Gone is the River", and "Gold Mouths Cry" ["The Bronze Boy"]
£1,500 - 2,000 / US$ 2,200 - 2,900
Lot 143
Sylvia Plath
Group of six typescript poems, including "Female Author', most with autograph revisions or corrections, all but the first with her name ("Sylvia Plath") and address at Lawrence House, Smith College, typed at the head, Lawrence House, Smith College [1954-55]
The other poems are: "On Looking into the Eyes of a Demon Lover", "Morning in the Hospital Solarium", "Prologue to Spring", "Trio of Love Songs" ["Parallax"], and "The Trial of Man"
£1,500 - 2,000 / US$ 2,200 - 2,900
Lot 144
Sylvia Plath
Two typed and autograph drafts of her poem "Admonitions" (here entitled "'Never Try to Know More Than You Should'", above a quotation from Paradise Lost), [1954-5]
£1,500 - 2,000 / US$ 2,200 - 2,900
Lot 145
Sylvia Plath
Two photographs given by Sylvia Plath to her mother Aurelia, the first showing her and her husband Ted Hughes, the second showing her in a garden wearing a sundress [The second photograph dates to July-August 1949 and was taken in the yard at 26 Elmwood Road, Wellesley.]
£2,000 - 3,000 / US$ 2,900 - 4,300
Unrelated to the above six lots is the following:
Lot 146
Sylvia Plath
The Bell Jar, First Edition, Heinemann, 1963
£1,500 - 2,000 / US$ 2,200 - 2,900
All links accessed 9 February 2016.
Bonhams Knightsbridge is holding a Fine Books, Atlases and Manuscripts auction on 16 March 2016.
There are six lots of Sylvia Plath items, Lots 140-145. These are part of that big 2 December 2014 auction that Sotheby's failed to sell. Back in November 2015 Bonhams held a very successful sale of a couple of lots from this private collection (results).
The lots are:
Lot 140
Sylvia Plath
Autograph drafts, notes, drawings and doodles for her story "Stardust", comprising a page of fairy sketches (with three red lipstick kisses applied by the author), [1946-47]
£4,000 - 6,000 / US$ 5,800 - 8,600
Lot 141
Sylvia Plath
Birthday card to her mother with autograph message signed ("much love to my favourite mummy! your Sivvy"), with a long typed letter within, Friday, 24 April [1953]
£2,000 - 3,000 / US$ 2,900 - 4,300
Lot 142
Sylvia Plath
Collection of typescripts of nine early poems, including "Ice Age", "In Memoriam", "Incident", "Crossing the Equinox" and others
The other poems are: "I Have Found the Perfect World", "Have You Forgotten?", "Humoresque", "Gone is the River", and "Gold Mouths Cry" ["The Bronze Boy"]
£1,500 - 2,000 / US$ 2,200 - 2,900
Lot 143
Sylvia Plath
Group of six typescript poems, including "Female Author', most with autograph revisions or corrections, all but the first with her name ("Sylvia Plath") and address at Lawrence House, Smith College, typed at the head, Lawrence House, Smith College [1954-55]
The other poems are: "On Looking into the Eyes of a Demon Lover", "Morning in the Hospital Solarium", "Prologue to Spring", "Trio of Love Songs" ["Parallax"], and "The Trial of Man"
£1,500 - 2,000 / US$ 2,200 - 2,900
Lot 144
Sylvia Plath
Two typed and autograph drafts of her poem "Admonitions" (here entitled "'Never Try to Know More Than You Should'", above a quotation from Paradise Lost), [1954-5]
£1,500 - 2,000 / US$ 2,200 - 2,900
Lot 145
Sylvia Plath
Two photographs given by Sylvia Plath to her mother Aurelia, the first showing her and her husband Ted Hughes, the second showing her in a garden wearing a sundress [The second photograph dates to July-August 1949 and was taken in the yard at 26 Elmwood Road, Wellesley.]
£2,000 - 3,000 / US$ 2,900 - 4,300
Unrelated to the above six lots is the following:
Lot 146
Sylvia Plath
The Bell Jar, First Edition, Heinemann, 1963
£1,500 - 2,000 / US$ 2,200 - 2,900
All links accessed 9 February 2016.
ReplyDeleteWish I could afford to bid on some of this stuff, in particular the two photos, even if the second isn't shown. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Sally! You and me both! If the interest and prices match that of the auction last November, well... we can only dream. At least there are some images. I'll investigate to see if I can find whether the second photograph was published somewhere. I know a copy of it is held in Plath's High School Scrapbook at the Lilly Library. In the photograph, Plath is seated on the grass in the backyard of her Wellesley house, legs bent and all the weight of her body on her left arm, which extends backwards. Behind here are a row of evergreen trees and clump of birches.
ReplyDeleteA photo from likely the same day appears in Paul Alexander's Rough Magic with the caption "Sylvia, a leggy teenager, in Wellesley.
~pks
Pj's, totally know the photo you're talking about. I think, at least. Isn't there one taken while she and Ted were on honeymoon at the cottage on the coast, paid for by Aurelia? That's the one that comes to my mind anyhow. I love the photo they show, the one of Ted with his arm around sylvia's waist, that was the first time I ever heard of plath -- Newsweek was running an article on sp, presumably her new journals released time about, and they accompanied the text with this photo. It somehow got me interested, for life it would appear.
ReplyDeleteOh ding dong on me! Sun DRESS, NOT sun HAT. My mistake.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't the Poems be fabulous....
ReplyDelete