The task of understanding Sylvia Plath as a writer is intimidating. Her archives are vast. They span countries and colleges, and have varying levels of access and availability. Studying her oeuvre in its entirety requires years of research and travel.
The market for Plath material is also alive and well. Many colleges are active collectors, building their archives year after year. An uncorrected proof of Plath’s novel The Bell Jar, written under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas, was sold at auction in 2023 for approximately A$12,000. A first edition of the book, signed by Plath’s husband Ted Hughes, was sold in the same year for over A$30,000.
These figures were in addition to US$1 million secured in 2021 for a collection of Plath and Hughes material belonging to their only surviving child Frieda Hughes, and the many thousands of dollars paid for memorabilia at an auction in 2018.
