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Links, Reviews, etc. - Week ending 11 April 2009

Just a few things to point out and/or promote this weekend...
  • Recently I found a very lovely blog: Sylvia and Ted Collection. In Sylvia and Ted Collection, Laurie is highlighting rare, limited, first, signed, and other editions of Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughes, etc. in her personal collection. It is an extremely generous offering with very lovely images as well as bibliographic and other commentary. Collecting Sylvia Plath (or Ted Hughes or another author) can be a very rewarding experience. Although some of these books, broadsides, long playing records probably cannot be or have not been read, handled or even opened, there must be a huge amount of joy in just getting to look at them daily. I've worked with many of these book myself at rare book rooms and I've gazed admiringly at them at Book Fairs. What Laurie is doing is something unique and fantastic for those who find themselves to be inclined to Plath.
  • Plath Profiles, Volume 2, is really coming together. Are you working on a paper or poem or book review for submission? According to the deadline I actually set, you have only until 15 April to submit! I'm not sure how hard a date that is really, but if you've got something we'd love to consider it.
  • The Woodberry Poetry Room hosts listening hours of its archival poetry recordings most Friday's during the academic year. On Friday, 17 April, I'll be introducing a listening hour of Sylvia Plath's poetry, as well as selecting those poems that will be heard. The Woodberry Poetry Room is open to the public, so come on by. We start at 3 PM. I'll also be showing off some of the Woodberry's holdings: such as the proof's of The Colossus (Heinemann) and Ariel (Faber) and the original reel-to-reel tape containers from June 13, 1958 and February 22, 1959 with the poems handwritten in by Plath.
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  1. Laurie11 April, 2009 12:11

    Hi Peter~
    Thanks for mentioning my new blog. It has given me a 'good reason' to handle some of these objects that got placed carefully on a bookshelf years ago and then left to sit there mostly untouched :)

    And thanks for the link about 'collecting.' It is disheartening to see how much the prices have gone up on most of these items. I'd have next to nothing if I was starting to collect now. I know as a collector I should be thrilled about the price rise, but it seems to take most of these items out of the hands of those of us who don't have piles of money, potentially making them mere commodities as opposed to something that a real fan can cherish.
    cheers,
    Laurie

    ReplyDelete
  2. Peter K Steinberg12 April, 2009 07:28

    Laurie, Good morning! The prices of Plath's books have really skyrocketed in the last decade. I've been following some of the prices for that long and have been discouraged that some are just way out of any normal persons means. They say that even in a bad economy book prices don't drop - they are a better, more sound investment than stocks and other things of that sort.

    I do really appreciate your images and notes on the books and things your posting about, and I hope that others do too!

    Cheers
    Peter

    ReplyDelete
  3. panther13 April, 2009 05:53

    It would be lovely to own one of these, and I don`t really mean as an investment. For the joy of it.

    PLATH PROFILES ? Am looking forward to the next issue.And am working towards working on a piece or two perhaps for the issue after that !

    ReplyDelete
  4. Peter K Steinberg13 April, 2009 06:19

    One of my main reasons for going to the Boston Book Fair every year is seeing these rare, pretty books. And they let you touch them! It's like a petting zoo!

    I'm glad that your considering Plath Profiles for publication and that you're looking forward to it. It's online, but we're not really sure who is reading/how it's being accepted.

    pks

    ReplyDelete

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