Book Series Guide

Sylvia Plath

Author guide

Sylvia Plath Books in Order

Sylvia Plath was an American writer whose work spans poetry, fiction, prose, journalism, journals, letters, radio drama, children's literature, and visual art. Her first poetry collection, The Colossus and Other Poems, appeared in 1960, followed by the novel The Bell Jar in 1963. Major posthumous publications include Ariel, Crossing the Water, Winter Trees, The Collected Poems, and extensive collections of her prose, journals, and correspondence.

poetrynovelshort storiesessaysjournalslettersradio dramachildren's literaturevisual art

Catalog record updated .

Sylvia Plath's Newest Book

The Poems of Sylvia Plath

poetry_collection · First published 2026

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

Cover of The Bell Jar

The Bell Jar

Plath's only completed novel and the most accessible entry to her prose.

Cover of The Colossus and Other Poems

The Colossus and Other Poems

Her first published poetry collection and a useful starting point for her poetic development.

Cover of Ariel

Ariel

Her central mature poetry collection and the best-known entry to her later work.

Outside the series

Bibliography by category

Novels (2)
  1. The Bell Jar

    novel · 1963

    Working in New York one hot summer, Esther Greenwood is on the brink of her future. Yet she is also on the edge of a darkness that makes her world increasingly unreal. In this vivid and unforgettable novel about the struggles of growing…

  2. The Magic Mirror

    nonfiction · 1989

Nonfiction (2)
  1. The Journals of Sylvia Plath

    journals · 1982

  2. The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath, 1950–1962

    journals · 2000

    "Published in their entirety for the first time, Sylvia Plath's journals provide a portrait of the writer who was to produce in the last seven months of her life some of the most extraordinary poems of the twentieth century. Faithfully…

Short fiction (3)
  1. A Day in June

    short_story · 1981

  2. The Green Rock

    short_story · 1982

  3. Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom

    short_story · 2019

Children's books (3)
  1. The Bed Book

    children's_book · 1976

    Describes various beds that are much more interesting than beds for sleeping, such as a jet-propelled bed, snack bed, pocket-size bed, and bounceable bed.

  2. The It-Doesn't-Matter Suit

    children's_book · 1996

    Undiscovered for years within the Plath collection at Indiana University, this delightful children's story is finally available to readers everywhere. It's the story of young Max Nix, a seven-year-old boy in search of the perfect set of…

  3. Collected Children's Stories

    children's_book · 2001

    Three classic children's stories, Mrs Cherry's Kitchen, The Bed Book and The It Doesn't Matter Suit, collected together in one volume for the first time.

Poetry (7)
  1. The Colossus and Other Poems

    poetry_collection · 1960

    With this startling, exhilarating book of poems, which was first published in 1960, Sylvia Plath burst into literature with spectacular force. In such classics as "The Beekeeper's Daughter," "The Disquieting Muses," "I Want, I Want," and…

  2. Uncollected Poems

    poetry_collection · 1965

  3. Ariel

    poetry_collection · 1965

    Upon the publication of her posthumous volume of poetry, Ariel, in the mid-1960s, Sylvia Plath became a household name. Readers may be surprised to learn that the draft of Ariel left behind by Sylvia Plath when she died in 1963 is…

  4. Crossing the Water

    poetry_collection · 1971

    The Poetry of Sylvia Plath.

  5. Winter Trees

    poetry_collection · 1971

    Both published posthumously in 1971, Crossing the Water and Winter Trees contain the poems written along with those that went to form Ariel, from the exceptionally creative period that led up to Sylvia Plath's suicide in 1963. Between…

  6. The Collected Poems

    poetry_collection · 1981

    For use in schools and libraries only. Brings together a collection of all Plath's mature poetry, published and unpublished, together with a large selection of her juvenile works.

  7. The Poems of Sylvia Plath

    poetry_collection · 2026

Plays (1)
  1. Three Women: A Monologue for Three Voices

    radio_play · 1962

    Sylvia Plath siempre apunta al corazón. Tres mujeres es un emocionante poema a tres voces que tiene como tema central la maternidad. Cada voz representa una forma de vivirla: la mujer que centra su realización en ser madre, la que sufre…

Other (15)
  1. A Winter Ship

    chapbook · 1960

  2. Wreath for a Bridal

    chapbook · 1970

  3. Million Dollar Month

    chapbook · 1970

  4. Crystal Gazer and Other Poems

    chapbook · 1971

  5. Fiesta Melons

    chapbook · 1971

  6. Lyonesse

    chapbook · 1971

  7. Child

    chapbook · 1971

  8. Pursuit

    chapbook · 1973

  9. Letters Home: Correspondence 1950–1963

    letters · 1975

  10. Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams

    prose_collection · 1977

    I lay there alone in bed, feeling the black shadow creeping up the underside of the world like a flood tide. Nothing held, nothing was left. The silver airplanes and the silver capes all dissolved and vanished, wiped away like the crude…

  11. Stings

    chapbook · 1982

  12. Sylvia Plath: Drawings

    graphic_work · 2013

  13. The Letters of Sylvia Plath, Volume I: 1940–1956

    letters · 2017

    Sylvia Plath (1932-1963) was one of the writers that defined the course of twentieth-century poetry. Her vivid, daring and complex poetry continues to captivate new generations of readers and writers. In the Letters, we discover the art…

  14. The Letters of Sylvia Plath, Volume II: 1956–1963

    letters · 2018

    Sylvia Plath (1932-1963) was one of the writers who defined the course of twentieth-century poetry. In the Letters, we discover the art of Plath's correspondence. Most has never before been published, and it is here presented unabridged,…

  15. The Collected Prose of Sylvia Plath

    prose_collection · 2024

    A complete edition, including much previously uncollected and unpublished materialThe Collected Prose stands alongside the Journals (2000) and the two volume Letters (2017 and 2018) to support a more complete understanding of Sylvia…

Frequently asked questions about Sylvia Plath

Who was Sylvia Plath?

Sylvia Plath (1932–1963) was an American poet and writer born in Boston, Massachusetts. She is known for poetry and autobiographical fiction.

Source: poets.org (opens in a new tab)

Where did Sylvia Plath study?

Plath studied at Smith College, graduating summa cum laude in 1955. She then received a Fulbright Scholarship to study at Newnham College, Cambridge.

Sources: poets.org (opens in a new tab)new.smith.edu (opens in a new tab)

What literary movement is Sylvia Plath associated with, and who influenced her?

Plath is strongly associated with confessional poetry, which explores personal experience in an autobiographical manner. She studied with Robert Lowell, whose work influenced her writing.

Sources: poets.org (opens in a new tab)poets.org (opens in a new tab)

Did Sylvia Plath win a Pulitzer Prize?

Yes. She was awarded the 1982 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry posthumously for The Collected Poems.

Sources: pulitzer.org (opens in a new tab)poets.org (opens in a new tab)

Why is Sylvia Plath still influential?

Her confessional poetry helped expand American poetry’s treatment of subjects such as trauma, depression, death, and relationships. Her work continues to influence contemporary British and American poets.

Sources: poets.org (opens in a new tab)cambridge.org (opens in a new tab)