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The Bell Jar
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The Bell Jar Hardcover - 2013

by Sylvia Plath

The Bell Jar has become a classic of American literature and has sold more than two million copie in the U.S. An extraordinary work, it chronicles the crackup of Esther Greenwood--beautiful, brilliant, successful and slowly going under. This gift edition includes a forward by the original editor who reveals the untold story of the book's first publication.


About this book

The Bell Jar is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Sylvia Plath, published in 1963. It tells the story of Esther Greenwood, a talented and ambitious young woman who struggles with mental illness and societal pressures in the 1950s.


The Bell Jar is a powerful and poignant portrayal of mental health and the pressures faced by young women. Plath's use of language and imagery captures the complexities of Esther's inner world, making the novel a powerful exploration of the human condition.


It’s Plath’s only novel, and the book is often regarded as a roman à clef due to its parallelism with the author’s own experiences and her struggle with mental illness. Plath committed suicide a month after The Bell Jar was first published.

From the publisher

A Special Hardcover Edition to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Publication of Sylvia Plath's Remarkable Novel

"It is this perfectly wrought prose and the freshness of Plath's voice in The Bell Jar that make this book enduring in its appeal." -- USA Today

The shocking, realistic, and intensely emotional novel about a woman battling mental illness and societal pressures written by iconic American writer Sylvia Plath.

Esther Greenwood is brilliant, beautiful, enormously talented, and successful, but slowly going under--maybe for the last time. In her acclaimed and enduring masterwork, Sylvia Plath brilliantly draws the reader into Esther's breakdown with such intensity that her neurosis becomes palpably real, even rational--as accessible an experience as going to the movies. A deep penetration into the darkest and most harrowing corners of the human psyche, The Bell Jar is an extraordinary accomplishment and a haunting American classic.

From the rear cover

A Special Hardcover Edition to Commemorate the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Publication of Sylvia Plath's Remarkable Novel

Sylvia Plath's shocking, realistic, and intensely emotional novel about a woman falling into the grip of insanity

Esther Greenwood is brilliant, beautiful, enormously talented, and successful, but slowly going under--maybe for the last time. In her acclaimed and enduring masterwork, Sylvia Plath brilliantly draws the reader into Esther's breakdown with such intensity that her insanity becomes palpably real, even rational--as accessible an experience as going to the movies. A deep penetration into the darkest and most harrowing corners of the human psyche, The Bell Jar is an extraordinary accomplishment and a haunting American classic.

First Edition Identification



The Bell Jar
by Sylvia Plath first edition was published by William Simmonds; London, 1963. It was bound black cloth-affect boards with spine lettered. Plath originally published it under the pseudonym "Victoria Lucas". The first edition pictorial dust-jacket was designed by Thomas Simmonds.

Details

  • Title The Bell Jar
  • Author Sylvia Plath
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition [ Edition: Repri
  • Pages 320
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Harper, New York
  • Date 2013-06-11
  • Illustrated Yes
  • ISBN 9780060174903 / 0060174900
  • Weight 0.96 lbs (0.44 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.52 x 5.66 x 1.07 in (21.64 x 14.38 x 2.72 cm)
  • Themes
    • Sex & Gender: Feminine
  • Library of Congress subjects Psychological fiction, Suicidal behavior
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 96211742
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Media reviews

Citations

  • Booklist, 01/01/2001, Page 978
  • Library Journal, 10/15/1996, Page 0
  • People Weekly, 04/14/2008, Page 45
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The Bell Jar: A Novel (Perennial Classics)
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The Bell Jar: A Novel (Perennial Classics)

by Plath, Sylvia

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The Bell Jar: A Novel
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The Bell Jar: A Novel

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  • Hardcover
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Used - good
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Hardcover
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The Bell Jar, 25th Anniversary Edition
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The Bell Jar, 25th Anniversary Edition

by Sylvia Plath

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  • Hardcover
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Used: Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780060174903
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0060174900
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The Bell Jar: A Novel (Perennial Classics)
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The Bell Jar: A Novel (Perennial Classics)

by Plath, Sylvia

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  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780060174903
ISBN 10
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The Bell Jar, 25th Anniversary Edition
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The Bell Jar, 25th Anniversary Edition

by Sylvia Plath

  • Used
  • Hardcover
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Used:Good
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25 Anv
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Hardcover
ISBN 13
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The Bell Jar: A Novel (Perennial Classics)
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The Bell Jar: A Novel (Perennial Classics)

by Plath, Sylvia

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  • Hardcover
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Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780060174903
ISBN 10
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The Bell Jar: A Novel (Perennial Classics)
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The Bell Jar: A Novel (Perennial Classics)

by Plath, Sylvia

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The Bell Jar: A Novel (Perennial Classics)
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The Bell Jar: A Novel (Perennial Classics)

by Plath, Sylvia

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ISBN 10
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The Bell Jar: A Novel (Perennial Classics)
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The Bell Jar: A Novel (Perennial Classics)

by Plath, Sylvia

  • Used
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ISBN 13
9780060174903
ISBN 10
0060174900
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The Bell Jar: A Novel (Perennial Classics)
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The Bell Jar: A Novel (Perennial Classics)

by Plath, Sylvia

  • Used
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ISBN 13
9780060174903
ISBN 10
0060174900
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