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The Lilly Library first acquired a small collection of Sylvia Plath’s poetry manuscripts in 1961. The extensive collection of Sylvia Plath letters, papers, and memorabilia that the Lilly Library acquired in 1977 came from her mother, Aurelia. Included in that collection are diaries, letters, poetry manuscripts, school papers, articles and prose pieces submitted for publication, scrapbooks, memorabilia, drawings and paintings, and more than 200 books from her library.
Plath manuscript collection
A small collection of poetry manuscripts, many poems exist in multiple drafts showing Plath's journey from handwritten first draft through many revisions to the clean final version.
Plath manuscripts II
Homemade paper dolls and greeting cards, diaries, and letters to her mother are highlights of this large collection.
Books from the library of Sylvia Plath
Works of literature, non-fiction, and college texts, many annotated.
We have millions of resources. Many are not yet digitized.
If you are having trouble finding what you are looking for, contact us.
Need Help?Helpful finding aids like our manuscripts index, card catalog, and special card files are not online. We can help you navigate these resources.
Learn more about finding aids that are not online
We can make PDFs, digital images, and other reproductions of Lilly Library materials to meet your needs. Fees help us pay for this service.
Learn more ordering PDFs and digital images
If you plan to use Lilly Library materials in a book, article, or other publication, we ask that you fill out our Permission to Publish form. We do not own reproduction rights to most of the material in the collection, so you may also need to secure permission from copyright holders.
Learn more asking for permission to publish
