Includes bibliographical references and index.

In The Letters of Sylvia Plath Volume 1, 1940-1956, we discover the art of Plath's correspondence. Most of these materials have never before been published, and are presented here unabridged and without revision--so that she can speak directly in her own words. Refreshingly candid and offering intimate details of her personal life, Plath's letters entertain a wide ranges of addressees, including family, friends, and professional contacts, with inimitable wit and verve. This selection of early correspondence marks the key moments of Plath's adolescence, including her childhood hobbies and high school boyfriends; her successful but turbulent undergraduate years at Smith College; her move to England and Cambridge University; and her meeting and marrying Ted Hughes, including previously unseen post-honeymoon letters that reveal the beginnings of their extraordinary creative partnership. The letters document Plath's literary development and show the genesis of many poems, short and long fiction, and works of journalism. While her endeavors to publish in a variety of genres received mixed reception, she was never dissuaded. Well-read and curious, Plath simultaneously offers a fascinating commentary on contemporary culture as well as a rare look at her writing ambitions through her correspondence. Peter K. Steinberg, leading Plath scholar, and Karen V. Kukil, editor of The Journals of Sylvia Plath, 1950-1962, provide comprehensive footnotes and an extensive index informed by their meticulous research that masterfully contextualize what these pages disclose. The letters are adorned by a selection of never-before-published photographs and Plath's own elegant line drawings. This remarkable collection, a work of immense scholarship and care, presents an exclusive look at the interior life of one of the most talented and fascinating poets of the modern age. -- Inside jacket flap.