The Bell Jar was published under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas in January 1963, two months before her suicide.
It is inscribed and dated Sylvia Plath 23 Fitzroy Road London NW1 Christmas 1962 – a reference to the fact that Plath and her two children, Frieda and Nicholas, had left Devon following her split from Hughes.
This copy was estimated at £60,000-80,000 and sold for a mid-estimate £70,000.
An uncorrected proof copy with her own manuscript corrections of the book sold at £60,000.
Plath's final typewriter, a Hermes 3000 purchased in Boston in 1959 that she used to write The Bell Jar in 1961, sold for a below-estimate £26,000.
Frieda Hughes, daughter of Plath (1932-63) and Hughes (1930-98), consigned the collection for sale on March 21. The sale was part of Bonhams’ Fine Books and Manuscripts auction which made a premium-inclusive £1.57m in total and was 87% sold by lot and 90% sold by value.
Matthew Haley, Bonhams head of fine books and manuscripts, said: "This collection provides a unique insight into the depth of the Hughes-Plath creative relationship, especially in the early years of their marriage. The high prices achieved for lots such as Plath's personal copy of The Bell Jar and the books bearing intimate inscriptions between the pair are testament to the longstanding impact that both writers had on the world of literature."
For more on the sale see ATG’s print issue next month.
