The It-Doesn't-Matter Suit (plus Bell Jar free)

Surprisingly, Sylvia Plath, generally known as "that talented, unhappy poet who killed herself," produced this thoroughly charming, whimsical children's tale. The manuscript lay neglected and forgotten among the author's papers for decades and was first published 33 years after her death. At first glance, the book appears to be a retelling of an old German or Scandinavian tale, but it is actually a completely original work. Many, many details of the story - the names of the characters (Emil, Otto, Hugo, Johann, etc.), their interests (skiing, tobagganning, ice fishing), their clothing (leather knickers with carved bone buttons, a green felt hat with a turkey feather in it, blue or red ski suits embroidered with snowflakes or edelweiss) - as well as the illustrations, give the book an old-fashioned, Mittle European feel. More than simply a literary curiosity, The It-Doesn't-Matter Suit is a delightful surprise, sweet without sentimentality, and revealing a side of Plath that has rarely been seen before.