[Rarebooks] FS: ORIGINAL DRAWINGS by Sylvia Plath accomplished as a child

[Charles Agvent]

See this link for an announcement of an exhibition of Plath's never 
before seen drawings in London:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/28/sylvia-plath-drawings_n_1063980.html?utm_source=Triggermail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Daily%20Brief&utm_campaign=daily_brief#s438614

PLATH, Sylvia. ORIGINAL ART Accomplished When Plath Was 8 and 9 Years 
Old. Three pencil drawings, executed when Plath was eight and nine years 
old, shortly after the death of her father, Otto, in 1940. It was at 
this young age that Plath first retreated into the worlds of both poetry 
and art: her first poem was published in THE BOSTON HERALD in 1941, the 
same year that a drawing of hers, of a plump lady in a feathered hat, 
won a dollar prize in another newspaper contest. Plath has claimed that 
it was her mother's reading Matthew Arnold's "The Forsaken Merman" to 
her that sparked her poetic imagination, and the first drawing here, 
"Mer-maid Land," is an underwater scene of a mermaid, fish and castle, 
with the mermaid shown again, larger, on a fold-over leaf. SIGNED 
"Sylvia July 20, 1941." In 1941, Plath was flower girl at her Aunt 
Dorothy's wedding; in 1942 she performed the same role for her Uncle 
Frank. The second drawing is of a bride, in profile, in wedding dress, 
and is SIGNED "Sylvia" and dated "1942" by Plath's mother, Aurelia. The 
final drawing, of a woman preparing to curtsey, is described on the 
verso by Plath's mother: "Sylvia drew this to illustrate the costume 
planned for the Minuet Group in the Pageant given May 1942. Sylvia was 
in the group." Aurelia (presumably) has also written "Keep" on the 
front. This drawing is also in pencil, but with the costume colored in 
orange crayon. The first drawing is approximately 5 1/2" x 5"; the 
second and third each 4" x 6". The first and third show some foxing (the 
latter with one closed edge tear); the second some even acidification. 
Very Good and most unusual. (#011898)        $8,500.00

Provenance provided with purchase.

See an image of these drawings here:

http://home.ptd.net/~chagvent/011898.jpg

-- 
All items subject to prior sale. Cash with order; institutions may be billed. Postage additional: $10.00 for the first book; $5.00 each thereafter. Overseas postage billed at approximate cost. Pennsylvania residents must add 6% sales tax. Mastercard, Visa, American Express and Discover accepted. Books may be returned within 10 days of receipt for any reason provided they are in the same condition as sent and prior notice is given. Please insure returns for their full value. We carry a diverse stock with major specialties including Modern and 19th Century Literary First Editions, Autographed Books, and the world's largest inventory of Limited Editions Club books. We are celebrating our 23rd year of business and are proud to be members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA) and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB). Please feel free to contact us with any wants or offerings. Thank you.

CHARLES AGVENT
291 Linden Road
Mertztown, PA 19539-8750
610-682-4750
info at charlesagvent.com
Please visit our shop: http://www.charlesagvent.com