PLATH, Sylvia. The Colossus. Poems. First edition of Plath's first regularly published book. Presentation copy, inscribed by Plath to the oet Theodore Roethke on the front free endpaper: "For Theodore Roethke with much love and immense admiration, Sylvia Plath, April 13, 1961". Theodore Roethke was the most important of Plath's literary influences, the mentor through whose example she found her own true voice. "Plath had begun reading the poetry of Theodore Roethke, whose poetry collection Words for the Wind contained a sequence of experimental poems in which he attempted to reproduce the imagery of mental breakdown. Roethke's poetry excited Plath to attempt a similar sequence of 'mad' poems. 'I have experienced love, sorrow, madness, and if I cannot make these experiences meaningful, no new experience will help me,' she mused in her journal. Roethke's example would show her how to use these experiences in her art, and 'be true to my own weirdness.' The result was 'Poem for a Birthday', which Ted Hughes admired very much and regarded as Plath's breakthrough into the subject of her mature style ... it was Roethke's artistic originality that stirred her to emulation. A fine copy. (more info)
The association copy – a book inscribed by its author or owned by a person of note – is the cornerstone of book collecting. It is the most coveted form of any book, and often the most interesting and valuable.
The association copy – a book inscribed by its author or owned by a person of note – is the cornerstone of book collecting. It is the most coveted form of any book, and often the most interesting and valuable.
