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Sylvia Plath Lots at Bonhams, 16 March 2016

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.

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