Children, children, children ~ Sylvia Plath for kids!

We can not forget that Plath also wrote quirky, fun pieces for children! Mrs Cherry's Kitchen, The Bed Book and The It-Doesn't-Matter Suit. This is Plath being playful!

Stunning ~ Sylvia Plath ~ The Crystal Gazer

I thought Lyonnesse was beautiful, and it is! However, The Crystal Gazer is even more so. It is huge, larger again than Lyonnesse, covered in beautiful flecked Japanese paper and lettered in gilt on the spine, the top edges of the pages are gold also. Note the Sylvia Plath penned picture as well! You must take a look at www.embershandpress.co.uk/ run by the wonderful Roy Watkins, from who this copy of The Crystal Gazer came. His pieces are stunning and I will be posting about his lovely copies of Plath's The Magic Mirror soon.

Sylvia Plath ~ The colossus '62

I like this version, not as much as the 1960 one, but I like it. It is a solid book, it is sturdy and the formatting is sharp. What astounds me though is the brilliant green of the boards underneath the dust jacket, stunning! It makes me wish they had used a dark green for the dust jacket to link to the boards and echo the green of the original.

Luulet ~ Estonian for a bit of Sylvia Plathery

I won this book on ebay, it fascinated me. The cover has something 1980s about it as does the abstract-angular image inside of a woman. It was printed, however, in 1990, so it is only moderately retro. As for the poems in translation, I was glad they came side by side, English - Estonian. I tried reading one to my 4 year old, he laughed at me. The 18 month old, well, he was more interested in playing peek-a-boo. Maybe I should try my students next...

Boo from behind the curtain!

Lovely ~ Sylvia Plath Lyonnesse

Lyonnesse is a beautiful limited edition printed by Rainbow Press in 1971. It is surprisingly large, A4ish in size and very arresting in the flesh so to speak. The paper is beautiful and textured, it is heavy, thick paper, it is a very tactile book, it needs to be experienced physically, one of those books that holding it enhances. Just lovely.

Sylvia Plath Miscellaneous!

I will post some special pieces that arrived this week, such as the beautiful Lyonnesse, once I have finished photographing them. I also aim to post some pictures of Luulet, a collection of Plath's poems translated into Estonian. No, I will not be posting a sound clip of my reading, I sound like the Swedish Chef, bork bork bork.

However, here are some lovely, lesser in price but equal in sentimental value, pieces. Which covers do you like best? I know this is only a small selection. I do like the original Ariel cover and am partial to the '66 Faber Bell Jar with the circles, which are pictured in earlier posts.

Beautiful ~ Sylvia Plath (Victoria Lucas) '63 Bell Jar

The very first Bell Jar is a coveted thing. It is bold and it is fragile, it is strong and it is crumbling, it is Sylvia Plath and yet it is Victoria Lucas. I know I shouldn't but I do have the need to keep getting this one off the shelf for another look.

My Sons are crazy ~ Sylvia Plath t-shirts

I have two Sylvia Plath t-shirts, yes I have t-shirts - oh and a mug too!

One was lovingly made by two beautiful students I taught years ago. They had a fragmented Plath picture on the front and the t-shirt was also filled with quotes from her poems. My youngest son gets to run around in an item of clothing that declares "Daddy, Daddy you bastard I'm through" and 'Dwarf baby. The knife in your back" amongst others that are more pleasant. It is a treasured present.

The other I purchased online and, well, it really does not fit. However, my other son can run around like a loony in it.

For some reason they both had to hold stones whilst we took these photos, perhaps they wanted to reflect Plath's The Stones? Or perhaps they really, really just like to throw them!

Coming soon ~ Sylvia Plath finds...

I am hopeless, it is true. I have a lovely copy of Plath's Three Women from 1968 by Turret Press coming, that was yesterday's yield to temptation, not to mention all the other items in transit. I am a hopeless Plath addict without a doubt.

I will upload some more photographs later today/tomorrow but first I will need to get my husband's assistance as my attempt at capturing my 1963 Victoria Lucas Bell Jar ended in blurriness. I have also dug out both Plath t-shirts so now I just need to get two small boys to stand still and smile.

I have also been Plathing it up this week as I have started a unit on Sylvia Plath's poetry with my students, there is no escape!

Things to add - Sylvia Plath

Over the coming weeks I will be adding pictures of:

• 1962 Knopf Colossus
• 1963 Victoria Lucas Bell Jar (ooh la la)
• 1965 Edition of The Review about Plath's death and last poems
• 1966 Ariel
• 1968 Three Women
• 1971 - 72 Other Crossing the Water and both Winter Trees
• 1971 The Crystal Gazer and other poems
• 1971 Lyonnesse
• 1971 Million Dollar Month
• 1971 Bell Jar
• 1975 Johnny Panic
• 1977 Letters Home
• 1989 The Magic Mirror (Plath's Hon Thesis reprinted by Embers Handpress)
• Several proof copies (Johnny Panic and Winter Trees - Faber)
• Plath's Journals and Children's Books
• Other miscellaneous editions
• Other gems as they are acquired
• My small sons in Plath t-shirts!

Enjoy

Pretty, so pretty... Sylvia Plath '65 Ariel #2

Eventually, unsurprisingly, I had to have another '65 Ariel. A shinier, sleeker version. It now sits alongside my first copy, I like to think they are friends. I would have this edition of this book in every room in the house if I could!

Sailing... Sylvia Plath - '71 Crossing the Water

I like this Faber cover more than the Harper edition. It makes me think of the sea at night.

More, more, more, Sylvia Plath - '60 The Colossus

Oh The Colossus, such a sturdy, pretty book.

I jump ahead and out of sequence but it needs to come out and play, the wait for this one was long (seemingly). It also has an interesting story as its previous owner was an annotater, said to be a woman from the Calder Valley where Hughes grew up and appears to know Plath and Hughes. 'She' comments on a personal reading of Mushrooms and on meeting Hughes and his daughter Frieda for coffee. The book also has an annotated obituary for Plath taped in the front. I am currently trying to unravel this one's past life...

Also... Sylvia Plath - '64 Bell Jar

Pretty, that is what it is.