# Is "The Bell Jar" by Victoria Lucas (pseudonym of Sylvia Plath) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Bell Jar by Victoria Lucas (pseudonym of Sylvia Plath) (Heinemann, 1963) is identified by: William Heinemann first edition, first impression (London, 1963), published under the pseudonym 'Victoria Lucas.' Octavo, issued in publisher's black boards with the spine lettered in gilt, in the first-issue pictorial dust jacket; the jacket should retain its printed price on the flap. The 1963 Heinemann edition as 'Victoria Lucas' is the true first (Plath's only novel, published a month before her death) and the prime collectible, in part because of the modest first-impression run of about 2,000 copies.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- William Heinemann first edition, first impression (London, 1963), published under the pseudonym 'Victoria Lucas.' Octavo, issued in publisher's black boards with the spine lettered in gilt, in the first-issue pictorial dust jacket; the jacket should retain its printed price on the flap
- The first impression was a small trade run of roughly 2,000 copies, which accounts for the scarcity of the true first
- The pseudonymous Heinemann issue is the true first
- Publisher imprint reads Heinemann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Victoria Lucas (pseudonym of Sylvia Plath) |
| Publisher | Heinemann |
| Year | 1963 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | William Heinemann first edition, first impression (London, 1963), published under the pseudonym 'Victoria Lucas.' Octavo, issued in… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
William Heinemann first edition, first impression (London, 1963), published under the pseudonym 'Victoria Lucas.' Octavo, issued in publisher's black boards with the spine lettered in gilt, in the first-issue pictorial dust jacket; the jacket should retain its printed price on the flap. The first impression was a small trade run of roughly 2,000 copies, which accounts for the scarcity of the true first. The pseudonymous Heinemann issue is the true first.

## Is this the true first?
The 1963 Heinemann edition as 'Victoria Lucas' is the true first (Plath's only novel, published a month before her death) and the prime collectible, in part because of the modest first-impression run of about 2,000 copies. The Faber edition under Plath's own name (1966) and the first US edition (Harper & Row, 1971) are later.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club for the true first. The defining points are the 'Victoria Lucas' pseudonym, the Heinemann 1963 imprint, and the first-impression statement; all editions naming Plath as author are later. Beware later Faber/Harper printings sold as firsts.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Bell Jar* by Victoria Lucas (pseudonym of Sylvia Plath) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-bell-jar-victoria-lucas
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.