The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath - First American Edition, 1st Printing - 1971

This first American edition, first printing of The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath is in excellent condition.

First American Edition (Harper & Row; New York, 1971). Originally bound half-cloth and paper over boards. Stated "First U.S. Edition" on the copyright page. Original price of $6.95 and 0471 on the front flap indicating a first state dust jacket. No number line on page 296 consistent with first printings.

The book looks pristine and includes original dust jacket. Minor edge wear on dust jacket spine. Jacket is not price clipped. Small crease on bottom of rear inside dust jacket flap. Owner's signature on inside front book plate. Interior is otherwise clean with no other markings, inscriptions, plates or soiling. Binding is strong and square. Rare find in this condition!

Published by Harper and Row in 1971, this printing of The Bell Jar was the first time the book was published in America. It was originally published under the pseudonym 'Victoria Lucas' in 1963 in the UK. Plath died by suicide one month after the original publication. The novel was published under Plath's name for the first time in the UK in 1967 and was not published in America until 1971. This is a first edition of the 1971 American publication.