A Winter Ship

Edinburgh: The Tragara Press, 1960. Book. Fine. Soft cover. 1st Edition. A very fine, almost mint copy. First edition of Plath's first separately printed poem, one of only 60 copies. Stitched in original stiff card with marbled wrappers. Printed title label in a ruled border pasted to front cover. Finely printed on laid-paper with deckle edge, 4pp. (title page, 2 page poem, 1 blanc page). Alan Anderson, owner of the Tragara Press, was impressed with a short story by Ted Hughes and asked if he had anything else that he could print. Hughes suggested to print a poem by his wife, Sylvia Plath. Anderson printed around 60 copies of 'A Winter Ship'. Plath requested the removal of her name from the title, writing in June of 1960: "We thought we'd like the date, place and press in upright letters, as on the other proof, and my name deleted - as I'll write that on the inside myself, with Christmas greeting too. Plath was extremely pleased with the result, writing to Anderson on 23 July 1960 "The pamphlets are absolutely beautiful. Ted and I are delighted with them, and especially with the handsome way you make up your covered booklets". (The Letters, Vol.II, edited by Steinberg and Kukil, 2018).