Ariel: Poems by Sylvia Plath, Faber 1971 Edition

This is an interesting copy of Sylvia Plath’s Ariel, and the cover gives us a useful clue about the edition.

Ariel: Poems by Sylvia Plath

Author: Sylvia Plath (1932–1963)

Publisher: Faber & Faber, London

First published: 1965, two years after Plath’s death

Genre: Poetry

Original length: 86 pages

Ariel is Plath’s second poetry collection and the book that did most to establish her posthumous reputation. It contains some of her most celebrated poems, including “Ariel,” “Lady Lazarus,” “Daddy,” “Tulips,” “The Applicant,” and others.

The important detail is the vertical burgundy strip reading “FABER paper covered EDITIONS.” Your cover design is associated with the early Faber issues of Ariel. Faber originally published the book in hardback in 1965, while bibliographic records show a Faber paperback/paper-covered edition in 1968, also 86 pages. One edition database specifically describes the 1968 paperback as “1st Edition Thus”.

Interestingly, the original Ariel jacket was designed by the celebrated Faber designer Berthold Wolpe. Faber still describes Wolpe’s Ariel design as iconic.

Is it collectible?

Yes, potentially. Early Faber editions of Ariel are collectible because Plath is such an important 20th-century poet.