Sylvia Plath Archival Materials


Working with Sylvia Plath's papers provides valuable insight into her creative process and her life. Below is a list of repositories that hold Sylvia Plath archival materials. These materials range from poetry drafts, correspondence, journals and diaries, photographs, and realia such as her elm plank writing desk and hand-painted cradle.


There are three major repositories for Plath materials: the Mortimer Rare Book Collection at Smith College, the Lilly Library at Indiana University at Bloomington, and the Robert W. Woodruff Library at Emory University. As these collections are massive, I've just listed the collection titles. These are listed first. For the other repositories that hold Plath materials, I've tried to list - with as much detail - what they hold. These are listed second and in alphabetical order by college or university name. I created a spreadsheet which combines many different archives holdings in one central spot called the Sylvia Plath Archival Documents Hub which I hope is useful.


Links are provided to online finding aids, catalog entries, or other useful information at the repository when possible. Some links will take you to Sylvia Plath Info blog postings. These often list in detail what the repository holds based on materials I have seen. Libraries often have paper copies of finding aids available for use on site only. When in doubt, contact the librarian, archivist, or curator for more information. Please let me know via email (listed on the home page) if any links do not work. Thank you.


Major Collections


Emory University - The Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, & Rare Book Library
The Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, & Rare Book Library, Robert W. Woodruff Library, 540 Asbury Circle, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA

Sylvia Plath materials (Series 3)
Gerald Hughes papers, 1910-2006
Olwyn Hughes papers, 1951-1997
Ted Hughes papers
Harriet Rosenstein research files on Sylvia Plath, 1910-2018
Letters to Assia Wevill, 1955-1970
Letters to Ben Sonnenberg, 1961-2000
Letters to Frieda Hughes, 1971-1997
Letters to János Csokits, 1960-1998
Letters to Lucas Myers, 1955-1988
Letters to Peter Redgrove, [ca. 1966-1984]
Letters to W. S. (William Stanley) and Dido Merwin, 1958-1969
Daniel Weissbort papers, [ca. 1957-1999]
Selden Rodman collection, 1938-1959
Stuart Rose Literary Collection, 1821-1988
Sylvia Plath collection, 1952-1989
Third programme radio scripts, 1949-1978
The Raymond Danowski Poetry Library




Indiana University at Bloomington - Lilly Library
The Lilly Library, 1200 East Seventh Street, Bloomington, Indiana, 47405-5500, USA

Sylvia Plath mss
Sylvia Plath mss II - Boxes 1-8 - Boxes 9-15
Sylvia Plath mss III
Sylvia Plath mss IV
Sylvia Plath mss V
Sylvia Plath mss VI
Sylvia Plath mss VII
Sylvia Plath mss VIII
Sylvia Plath mss IX
Ted Hughes Mss I & II
Gordon Ames Lameyer Mss
Oscar Williams Mss
Douglas Cleverdon II Mss
Leonard Sanazaro mss
Linda Wagner-Martin Mss




Smith College - Neilson Library - Mortimer Rare Book Collection & Smith College Archives
Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts 01063, USA

Sylvia Plath Collection, ca. approximately 1930-1998 (Mortimer Rare Book Collection)
Helle collection of Plath family photographs (Mortimer Rare Book Collection)
Steinberg photographs of Sylvia Plath related places (Mortimer Rare Book Collection)
Collection of papers on Bitter Fame, 1954-1991 (Mortimer Rare Book Collection)
Edward Butscher Collection of Papers on Sylvia Plath (Mortimer Rare Boom Room)
Sylvia Plath Hughes Papers, 1955- (Smith College Archives)
Ruth Tiffany (Beuscher) Barnhouse papers, 1915-1999, 2008
Includes 14 Letters from Sylvia Plath to Ruth Tiffany Beuscher from 18 February 1960 to 4 February 1963. (Sophia Smith Collection)




Sylvia Plath's Library

Sylvia Plath's Library
The books Sylvia Plath read, owned, or used in writing papers is catalogued on LibraryThing using information from Emory University, Indiana University, Smith College, and other sources.


Smaller Collections


Assumption College, Emmanuel d'Alzon Library
500 Salisbury Street, Worcester, MA 01609

Letters to Michael Carey




Boston University, Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center
771 Commonwealth Avenue 5th Fl, Boston, MA 02215

BBC Transcription of 'Landscape on Childhood'




British Broadcasting Corporation Written Archives Centre (website)
Peppard Road, Caversham Park, Reading, RG4 8TZ, UK

Sylvia Plath correspondence regarding copyright and talks, 1957-1963. (Read more here)
(The BBC Written Archive Centre also holds Plath related materials in their Ted Hughes files.)




British Library, London (website)
The British Library, St Pancras, 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB, UK

Add 52617: Insomniac: [in 'Cheltenham Festival prize poems' collection] / by Sylvia Plath.
Add 53784: Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath: verse and prose
Add 83684-83698: Hughes-Baskin papers (See specifically Add 83684, 83687, 83688, for Plath materials) (Read more here)
Add 88482-88611: Alvarez papers, Vols. CVIII-CX
Add 88589: Alvarez papers, Vol. CVIII
Add 88612: Letters from Ted Hughes : includes a letter to Sylvia Plath from Assia Wevill.




Brown University, John Hay Library
20 Prospect St, Box A, Providence, RI 02912, USA

St. Martin's Press Archive, 1952-1996




Central Zionist Archives, Hebrew site; English site
4 Zalman Shazar. Ave., Jerusalem, Israel

Letter to Dorothea Krook, 25 September 1958




Columbia University, Rare Book and Manuscript Library
6th Floor East Butler Library, 535 West 114th St., New York, NY 10027

Irwin Edman papers, [ca 1930]-1954 (Read more here)




Dartmouth College - Rauner Special Collections
6065 Webster Hall, Hanover, NH 03755

Papers of Philip Booth, 1857-2001 (Read more here)




Harvard University
Houghton Library, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
Woodberry Poetry Room, Lamont Library, Room 330, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
Schlesinger Library, 10 Garden Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA

Sickroom Tulips (Houghton Library) (Read more here)
Sylvia Plath reading from her own works (Woodberry Poetry Room, Lamont Library)
Photographs of Sylvia Plath & Ted Hughes with Frieda Hughes (Woodberry Poetry Room, Lamont Library)
Typescripts of her poetry (Woodberry Poetry Room, Lamont Library) (Read more here)




Tate Museum London, Institute of Contemporary Art Archives
Tate Library and Archive, Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1P 4RG, United Kingdom

ICA Archives




Kenyon College, Greenslade Special Collections and Archive, Olin Library
Kenyon College, 103 College Drive, Gambier, OH 43022-9624 USA

Kenyon Review Archive




Massachusetts Historical Society (website)
1154 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA

Atlantic Monthly Magazine records 1969-1974 (Read more here)
Edward Weeks papers, ca. 1934-1989 (Read more here)




McMaster University - Mills Memorial Library, Lower Level (website)
The William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections, 1280 Main St. W., Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4L6

Eric Walter White Second Accural (Read more here)




Middlebury College - Davis Family Library 101 (website)
Special Collections & Archives, 110 Storrs Avenue, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753

Aunt Rennie and the Elves; short story, circa 1943, held in Abernethy manuscript miscellany collection




The Morgan Library and Museum (website)
225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016 USA

Autograph transcript of 40 juvenile poems (Read more here) (Read even more here)
Letters to Dido and W. S. Merwin from 24 June 1960 to 8 November 1962, plus their signed/inscribed copy of The Colossus (Heinemann, 1960)
Two Letters from Sylvia Plath to Alan Anderson from 11 June 1960 and 23 July 1960, and copies of Plath's poem-pamphlet A Winter Ship
One letter from Ted Hughes to Anderson, 19 May 1960
Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes's signed copy of The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing
The Morgan also has a large collection of first and limited editions




Mt. Holyoke College - Williston Library - Archives & Special Collections
Mount Holyoke College, 50 College Street, South Hadley, Massachusetts 01075, USA

Kathryn Irene Glascock Poetry Prize Records, 1923- . See 1955 (contestant) and 1959 (judge), specifically.




New York Public Library - Manuscripts and Archives Division
Room 328, Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, New York, NY 10018-2788, USA

New Yorker Records, ca. 1924-1984 (Read more here)
Yaddo Records, 1870-1980 (Read more here) (Read even more here)

Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature: The Berg holds poetry and prose manuscripts, a photograph, a postcard, and books from Plath's library. (Read more here) (Read even more here).




Northern Illinois University - Rare Books & Special Collections Department
DeKalb, Illinois 60115, USA

The Review Collection, 1962-1970




Oriel College - Library
The Library, Oriel College, Oriel Square , Oxford, OX1 4EW, UK

Typescript of 'Mayflower'




Princeton University - Department of Rare Books Special Collections
Princeton University Library, One Washington Road, Princeton, New Jersey 08544 USA

Hudson Review Archives (Read more here)




Random House Group Archive & Library - (website)
1, Cole Street, Crown Park, Rushden, Northants NN10 6RZ England

William Heinemann Ltd archives




Stanford University - Green Library - Department of Special Collections
Stanford University, Department of Special Collections, Green Library, Stanford, California 94305-6004, USA

Nathaniel Tarn papers, ca. 1939-2000 (M1132) (Read more here)




University College Dublin - James Joyce Library
James Joyce Library, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland

Papers of Jack and Máire Sweeney, Collection Code: LA52/166
Correspondence between Jack Sweeney and Ted Hughes & Sylvia Plath, 1957-1985
Photographs of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes with Frieda Hughes




University of Cambridge - King's College - Archives Centre
Archive Centre, King's College, Cambridge, CB2 1ST, UK

Letters to J. M. Wober

Newnham College - College Archives
Sidgwick Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 9DF

Sheet music




University of Chicago - Special Collections Research Center
University of Chicago Library, 1100 East 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA

Poetry: A Magazine of Verse Records 1895-1961
Holds letters to and from Sylvia Plath as well as typescripts and annotated proofs of Sylvia Plath's poems. Read more here




University of Delaware - Special Collections
Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware 19717-5267, USA

BBC Third Programme Radio Scripts, 1940-1969 (Manuscript Collection Number 332)




University of Edinburgh - Special Collections
Centre for Research Collections, Edinburgh University Library, George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9LJ, UK

Norman MacCaig papers (MS.3208.10-11)




University of Glasgow - Library
University of Glasgow, Hillhead St, Glasgow G12 8QE, United Kingdom

Four typescript poems, Philip Hobsbaum papers: "Vanity Fair"; "Black Rook In Rainy Weather"; "The Snowman On The Moor"; and "The Lady And The Earthernware Head". Additional papers include articles about Plath collected by Hobsbaum.




University of Gothenburg - Special Collections
University of Gothenburg, Box 100, S-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden

Siv Arb papers: Two letters from 5 May 1962 and 21 July 1962 and photographs




University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign - Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Main Library, Room 346, 1408 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana, Illinois 61801

J. Kerker Quinn papers (Read more here)




University of Liverpool - The Sydney Jones Library - Special Collections
Sydney Jones Library, The University of Liverpool, PO Box 123, Liverpool L69 3DA, UK

Sylvia Plath typescripts (Reference Number: GB 141 Plath)
Two letters from Sylvia Plath to Kenneth Allott (Reference Number: D1073/1/4/1)




University of Manchester - The John Rylands University Library - Special Collections
150 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 3EH, England UK

Critical Quarterly Archive [1957]-1989, (Reference number GB 133 CQA)




University of Maryland at College Park - Hornbake Library
Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA

Frances McCullough Papers, 1915-1994 (Read more here)
Archives of Turret Books, 1965-1975 (Read more here)
Turret Press Collection, 1965-1975




University of Minnesota - Elmer L. Anderson Library - Children's Literature Research Center
222 21st Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA

Emily Arnold McCully papers




University of New Hampshire - University of New Hampshire Library - Milne Special Collections and Archives
18 Library Way, Durham, NH 03824, USA

Donald Hall papers (currently closed to researchers, June 2022)




University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Wilson Library
Rare Book Collection, CB# 3936 Wilson Library, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27514-8890, USA

Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes Collection




University of Reading (England) - Library
Special Collections Services, The University of Reading, Redlands Road, Reading, Berkshire RG1 5EX, UK

Records of Chatto & Windus Ltd.
Correspondence concerning Sylvia Plath by Linda Wagner-Martin, 1985-1986
1 folder, 193 items. Call number: CHATTO & WINDUS--CW 428/2
Correspondence concerning Sylvia Plath by Linda Wagner-Martin, 1987-1989
3 folders, 391 items. Call number CHATTO & WINDUS--CW 479/4




University of Tennessee, Knoxville - Library
Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives , The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996

"King of the Ice" (manuscript poem in pencil), Patricia Cornwell Collection




University of Texas at Austin - Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin, P.O. Drawer 7219, Austin, Texas 78713-7219, USA

Alfred A. Knopf Inc Records, 1873-1996 (Read more here)
Anne Sexton Papers, 1912-1996 (Bulk 1953-1974) (Read more here)
Eric Walter White papers, 1913-1985, 1987 (Read more here)
London Magazine records
Texas Quarterly records




University of Tulsa - Special Collections and University Archives
Special Collections and University Archives, McFarlin Libary, 2933 E 6th Street, Tulsa, OK 74104 USA

"Ocean 1212-W" (Read more here)
Richard Murphy papers (Read more here)
Stevie Smith papers (Read more here)




University of Victoria (British Columbia) - McPherson Library
University of Victoria Libraries, PO Box 1800 STN CSC, Victoria, BC V8W 3H5, Canada

Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath collection (Read more here)




University of Virginia - Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia Libraries, PO Box 400113, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4113

Eight Books from Sylvia Plath's Library (Read more here)
Blog post on UVA's extensive holdings




University of Washington, Seattle - Special Collections Divison, Allen Library
Allen Library South, Basement, Box 352900, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-2900, USA

Theodore Roethke papers (Read more here)




Utica University - Utica University Library Special Collections
1600 Burrstone Road, Utica, NY 13502, USA

Peter K. Steinberg's collection of books, articles, and A/V materials by and about Sylvia Plath. "Plath Collection" in the library catalog.




Vanderbilt University - Jean and Alexander Heard Library
Special Collections and University Archives

The Peter Taylor Papers (MSS. 435)
Series 1: Correspondence, Incoming Correspondence, Box 4, Folder 12: Page - Plath
Letter from Sylvia Plath to Eleanor Ross Taylor, 27 January 1961 (Read more here)




Washington University at St. Louis - John M. Olin Library
Department of Special Collections, Campus Box 1061, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA

Lee Anderson papers (MSS004) (Read more here)
Ted Hughes papers (MSS146) (Read more here)
Elizabeth Bishop papers (MSS012)

Washington University has digitized some Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes papers.




Yale University - Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Public Services Department, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, P.O. Box 208240, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8240, USA

Two manuscript poems (Read more here)
Peter Davison papers, ca. 1940-2005 (Read more here)
Living Theatre records, ca. 1947-2007