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Sylvia Plath's Copy of Joseph Conrad's Lord Jim: Upcoming Auction


On 10 July at Sotheby's, the Joseph Conrad collection Collection from the Library of the late Stanley J. Seeger - Part I goes for sale in London. Of the 193 lots, one in particular strikes the fancy of this Sylvia Plath-o-phile... Lot number 31.

The description of Sylvia Plath's copy of Lord Jim reads: "8vo. Sylvia Plath's copy, bearing her signed bookplate and extensively underlined with numerous annotations by her, additionally annotated by Ted Hughes ("I read this novel, this copy, aloud | to Sylvia, in the evenings, while | she was making her rag rug - 1962. | Ted Hughes" on rear free endpaper, original red brown cloth lettered in gilt on spine and upper cover, dust-jacket, extremities bumped and sunned, occasional scribbles in green felt-tip, significant loss to dust-jacket"

The estimate is £6,000-8,000.

News of this copy coming up for sale was featured in "Sylvia Plath's copy of Lord Jim on sale as part of huge Joseph Conrad auction" in The Guardian on 13 May 2013. Plath items at auction have recently also been featured on this blog, including a rare uncorrected proof copy of a Victoria Lucas Bell Jar (post 1, post 2) and a typed letter signed by Plath that sold in 2012. You can also search all posts on this blog labeled "Auction".

If you are interested in books formerly belonging to Sylvia Plath, considering checking out Sylvia Plath Library on (the recently redesigned) Librarything! Plath's library is not complete (we will never realistically know all the books she read) but it should give you a good idea of what she owned, what she read for school, etc.

All links accessed 1 July 2013.
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