This next weekend, 16-18 November, the Hynes Convention Center on Boylston Street, Boston, will host the 42nd annual Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair . This one will be a capital-D Delight. I say this because Jonkers Rare Books of Henley on Thames, England, will be showing off the most expensive Sylvia Plath proof book ever: her own proof copy of The Bell Jar  at their booth, 525. As we learned recently in the publication of The Letters of Sylvia Plath, Volume 2 , Plath received the proof shortly after she found out about Ted Hughes' affair with Assia Wevill. So her edits to the book date from after circa 10-11 July 1962. Incredible to think she was reviewing this at the same time as dealing with the marital issues as well as playing host to her mother, visiting Court Green, Devon, from Massachusetts. Anyway, I am truly excited to see this book and hope to review it carefully. Several years back I did a study of the " Textual Variations in The Bell Jar Publicat...

The Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes Bonhams auction in March is the gift that keeps on giving, it seems. Because nearly one-quarter of all the lots were purchased jointly between two booksellers, dozens of items are appearing now individually for sale. This is how I procured two additional possessions of Frieda Hughes' in addition to Plath's fishing rod . In July I posted about the presentation copy of Alan C. Jenkins's White Horse, Black Bull , acquired from Modern First Editions. This blog post is about the third, and perhaps final, item from the auction which I have purchased. I have always had an interest in uncorrected proofs of Plath's books. They represent a pre-first edition state, were printed in extremely limited quantities, and often serve as a bridge state between manuscript and first edition. Peter Harrington Books of London acquired Lot 377 which was comprised of thirteen total books. Eleven of them were lightly described in the Bonhams catalog leaving two o...

A Bonhams auction today  of Books, Maps, Manuscripts and Historical Photographs (Auction 20752) in Knightsbridge, London, included a rare uncorrected proof copy of The Bell Jar by Victoria Lucas (1962) in Lot number 202. The copy sold for higher than the high estimate: £5,000/€5,839/$7,810 (including buyers fees/premiums). The purchaser is now a lucky owner! Congrats!

Following Laurie's excellent post on the uncorrected proof of Letters Home: Correspondence, 1950-1963 , we decided to see if it would be possible to uncover the mystery of the white-outs she mentions. Carefully holding the book up to the light, I was able to make out two of the three whited-out sections...  Acknowledgments Proof: Page /First edition: Page ix "Of course this book could not exist without the permission given me by Ted and Olwyn Hughes, who have allowed me to publish sections from my daughter's correspondence and have given me the copyright for the selections from her letters."  Proof: Page 426/First edition: Page 483/486 "It is my belief that the last blow may well have been the immediate penetration of her pseudonym 'Victoria Lucas'. She now realized that the fused, caricaturized [sic.] figures in The Bell Jar which bore recognizable idiosyncrasies, were going to be identified. Those who had sacrificed for her, served and lover her were to...