# Is "Land of Unlikeness" by Robert Lowell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Land of Unlikeness by Robert Lowell (The Cummington Press, 1944) is identified by: Fine-press limited edition of 250 copies, of which 26 were printed on Dacian paper, numbered, and signed by the author (the balance of 224 unsigned). US Cummington Press; the scarce true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Lowell's first book
- Fine-press limited edition of 250 copies, of which 26 were printed on Dacian paper, numbered, and signed by the author (the balance of 224 unsigned)
- Hand-set at the Cummington Press by Harry Duncan; introduction by Allen Tate; title-page woodcut by Gustav Wolf
- Finished July 1944
- Publisher imprint reads The Cummington Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Lowell |
| Publisher | The Cummington Press |
| Year | 1944 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Lowell's first book |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Lowell's first book. Fine-press limited edition of 250 copies, of which 26 were printed on Dacian paper, numbered, and signed by the author (the balance of 224 unsigned). Hand-set at the Cummington Press by Harry Duncan; introduction by Allen Tate; title-page woodcut by Gustav Wolf. Finished July 1944.

## Is this the true first?
US Cummington Press; the scarce true first. Many poems were revised and reused in 'Lord Weary's Castle' (1946). The 26 signed Dacian-paper copies are the more desirable state.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Land of Unlikeness* by Robert Lowell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/land-of-unlikeness
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.