Signed Contract for "And Summer Will Not Come Again"
Original signed contract for Plath's appearance in SEVENTEEN for her short story "And Summer Will Not Come Again."
Very good.
Price: $10,000.00
Signed Contract for "And Summer Will Not Come Again"
"Future writer... Those rejection slips from Seventeen" — Plath, caption below her high school yearbook photo
Plath had amassed almost fifty rejections from SEVENTEEN before finally garnering this acceptance in March of 1950 for her short story "And Summer Will Not Come Again." Often described as Plath's first professional publication (as this contract notes, she was paid $15), "Summer" details her relationship with a high school boyfriend, John Hodges. Published in August of that year, just before she began her freshman year at Smith, the story would mark the first of eight appearances in the magazine over the next several years.
The contract is actually signed twice by Plath, once as herself (noting her age: "17"), and once as "Aurelia R. Schober" (her mother's maiden name) on the "Witness" line — presumably for convenience and expediency. Plath has additionally noted the date ("March 17, 1950"). Provenance: Purchased by a previous owner directly from Sylvia's mother Aurelia, who was a personal friend of the buyer. Plath's mother received little money from Plath's increasingly lucrative estate which was controlled by her husband, the poet Ted Hughes, thus forcing her mother to sell many Plath's personal items to supplement her meager income.
A rare document marking one of the earliest milestones in the career of one of our most important poets.
Read more: Clark, Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath.
The Object
[New York]: Triangle Publications [Seventeen Magazine], 1950. 11'' x 8.5''. Triangle Publications form contract with typed carbon elements printed recto only. Signed and dated ("March 17, 1950") by Plath, her mother, and Plath again (as "Witness," using her mother's maiden name). Folded in thirds for mailing. Some creasing, edgewear. Mild toning and staining here and there. Residue from removal from scrapbook to verso. Overall sound.
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