FIVE EARLY APPEARANCES IN SEVENTEEN MAGAZINE - 1950-1953

New York: Triangle Publications, Inc, 1953. After receiving 50 rejection slips from an assortment of publications before a single piece of her creative writing was accepted, Plath was informed during her final term in high school that Seventeen would publish her story "And Summer Will Not Come Again" in their August, 1950 issue. The magazine would be the first mainstream publication where Plath's poetry and short fiction would be exposed, printing her work on eight occasions between 1950-1953. Her contributions in the present group include "Ode to a Bitten Plum," "a short, Keats-inspired poem in which the narrator, contemplating a plum, decides its seed represents more abstract concepts like time and eternity" (November 1950, p.104); "Den of Lions," a story based on her failed love affair with a boyfriend while attending Smith College (May 1951, p.127, 144-145); "It's All Yours" (story, October 1952, p.76, 100-104); "The Suitcases Are Packed Again" (poem, March 1953, p.91); and "Carnival Nocturne" (poem, April 1953, p.127). An attractive and uncommon group of early appearances. (See Alexander, Paul. Rough Magic: A Biography of Sylvia Plath, p.60, 65-77). Five large quarto issues (33.75cm); photo-illustrated wrappers; 144, 172, 128, 192, 200pp; illus. Publication sequence as follows: November, 1950; May, 1951; October, 1952; March, 1953; April, 1953. Light wear overall, with creasing and short tears to extremities, and minute loss to spine ends on three issues; Nov.1950 issue with dust-soil and foxing to front wrapper and text edges; Very Good-Very Good+.