# Is "History" by Robert Lowell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of History by Robert Lowell (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1973) is identified by: First edition, FSG, cloth with dust jacket; stated 'First Printing, 1973.' Recasts and reworks much of 'Notebook,' adding a substantial body of new poems. US FSG first edition of 1973; the Faber UK edition also appeared in 1973, with the US edition generally cited as the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, FSG, cloth with dust jacket; stated 'First Printing, 1973.' Recasts and reworks much of 'Notebook,' adding a substantial body of new poems
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus & Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Lowell |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus & Giroux |
| Year | 1973 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, FSG, cloth with dust jacket; stated 'First Printing, 1973.' Recasts and… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, FSG, cloth with dust jacket; stated 'First Printing, 1973.' Recasts and reworks much of 'Notebook,' adding a substantial body of new poems.

## Is this the true first?
US FSG first edition of 1973; the Faber UK edition also appeared in 1973, with the US edition generally cited as the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition noted.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *History* by Robert Lowell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/history
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.