Sylvia Plath items at Bonhams New York

Bonhams, New York, is auctioning two rare copies of The Phillipian, the junior high school periodical for the Alice L. Phillips school with early publications of Sylvia Plath's. They are copies from April 1945 and June 1947.

Lot 135: "The Spring Parade" and "May." IN: The Phillipian, April, 1945 and June 1947. Wellesley Hills, MA: Alice L. Phillips Junior High School, 1945/1947.

4to. Pictorial wrappers. Both with covers detached, partially disbound, second issue lacking some early leaves, chipping and some minor staining.

VERY RARE PLATH FIRST APPEARANCES. Two early poems by Sylvia Plath published in the school magazine while a student at the Alice L. Phillips Junior High School in Wellesley Hills. Plath's first published poem was submitted to the Boston Herald in 1941 and published simply under the name "8-Year Old Poet." Although she penned some articles for the school magazine, The Phillipian, the appearance of "The Spring Parade" in 1945 was only her second published work of poetry.

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What is missing from the above is that Plath's poem "March" appears in the April, 1945 issue and her "Class Poem" appears in the June, 1947 issue. I have emailed Bonhams about this oversight on the additional works by Plath appearing in these publications. Information from Stephen Tabor's Analytical Bibliography of Sylvia Plath and the publications page of A celebration, this is.

All links accessed: 27 May 2021.

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