Books

Sylvia Plath, presentation copy of The Colossus and other Poems, heart-warmingly inscribed on the front-free endpaper to Susan O'Neill-Roe, Susan's mother Nancy Jenkins and Nancy's second husband Alan Jenkins. Susan was children's nurse to Plath's two children with Ted Hughes, Frieda and Nicholas, from the autumn of 1962 in Devon, her family living not far from Plath's home in North Tawton. Provenance: Susan O'Neill-Roe. This copy is one of just three copies of the signed Knopf first edition known to exist (as it was published in May 1962, two years later than the UK Heinemann edition) and was almost certainly given to Susan, Nancy and Alan in November 1962, a month before Sylvia Plath moved to Fitzroy Road in Primrose Hill and just three months before Plath's death. Susan was engaged to look after Plath's children from late October to mid-December 1962, while Plath was engaged in writing many of the poems that would go on to make her name in her final few months. Sylvia Plath dedicates her Ariel poem 'Cut' to Susan: 'For Susan O'Neill Roe'. In a letter written on 15th February 1963, just four days after Plath's death, Susan wrote to her mother and Alan: I just can't believe that Sylvia's killed herself it doesn't seem real. I went round there yesterday morning Nick was asleep so I didn't see him, Frieda seemed to be cheerful and was friendly but poor Ted was very dazed and hardly knew what had hit him... Offsetting to the front-free endpaper; some light spotting to the preliminaries, other pages unmarked. Green cloth boards clean and fresh, light rubbing to the bottom edge. The jacket is price-clipped, almost certainly by Sylvia Plath as the book was a gift from her and the book previously would have been her copy. Chipping to the spine foot and tip, closed edge tear to the top edge of the front panel, no marks to the verso. For customers outside the United Kingdom, please enquire first for a shipping quote. Thank you.