The Bell Jar. London: Faber and Faber Ltd., 1966.

First edition thus. 8ov. 258pp. A wonderful copy of Plath’s novel, ‘The Bell Jar’. This edition was published by Faber under Plath’s own name, three years after Heinemann’s publication of the novel under her pseudonym, ‘Victoria Lucas’.

The semi-autobiographical novel details Esther Greenwood's exciting and fraught entrance into the New York City publishing world via an internship at a fashion magazine and the fall out from the many pressures. On its debut ‘The Bell Jar’ was received well, with reservations reserved for the fact that the voice was that of a convincingly-rendered teenage girl. It is interesting to compare the rapturous acclaim ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ received, for its author similarly nailing the voice of a teenage Holden Caulfield.

Plath felt some need for distance from the novel, perhaps because of the closeness of the subject matter, detailing her nervous breakdown. She was harsh about it to her friends, calling it a “pot-boiler” and also wanted to hide its contents from her mother. She committed suicide only a month after its publication and was not published in her home country until 1971. It’s an underrated novel worthy of critical acclaim.

Slight toning at creases and very light five cm pen mark on rear jacket. Near fine in near fine dust jacket.