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Sylvia Plath

/Sylvia Plath

 

Photograph of Sylvia Plath

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. 
 

Draft of the poem, The Babysitters (1961)

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.

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Photograph of Sylvia Plath

Plath manuscripts II

Homemade paper dolls and greeting cards, diaries, and letters to her mother are highlights of this large collection.

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Photograph of Sylvia Plath

Books from the library of Sylvia Plath

Works of literature, non-fiction, and college texts, many annotated.

View the list of books in IUCAT

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Helpful finding aids like our manuscripts index, card catalog, and special card files are not online. We can help you navigate these resources.

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We can make PDFs, digital images, and other reproductions of Lilly Library materials to meet your needs. Fees help us pay for this service.

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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.

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The Lilly Library Bloomington

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