# Is "Life Studies" by Robert Lowell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Life Studies by Robert Lowell (Farrar, Straus and Cudahy, 1959) is identified by: US Farrar, Straus and Cudahy edition (New York, April 1959), first US printing so stated ('First printing, 1959' on the copyright page). Precedence point: the UK Faber and Faber edition was deliberately published FIRST in 1959 so the book could be entered for the Poetry Book Society, whose rules required a British first edition; the US Farrar, Straus and Cudahy edition followed in April 1959.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Farrar, Straus and Cudahy edition (New York, April 1959), first US printing so stated ('First printing, 1959' on the copyright page)
- The US edition is bound in green cloth with a bright green topstain and includes the prose memoir '91 Revere Street' as Part II. Cloth in dust jacket with the original printed price on the flap
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Cudahy
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Lowell |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Cudahy |
| Year | 1959 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | US Farrar, Straus and Cudahy edition (New York, April 1959), first US printing so stated ('First printing, 1959' on the copyright page) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
US Farrar, Straus and Cudahy edition (New York, April 1959), first US printing so stated ('First printing, 1959' on the copyright page). The US edition is bound in green cloth with a bright green topstain and includes the prose memoir '91 Revere Street' as Part II. Cloth in dust jacket with the original printed price on the flap.

## Is this the true first?
Precedence point: the UK Faber and Faber edition was deliberately published FIRST in 1959 so the book could be entered for the Poetry Book Society, whose rules required a British first edition; the US Farrar, Straus and Cudahy edition followed in April 1959. The two differ in contents — the rushed Faber first printing OMITTED '91 Revere Street,' which appears in the fuller US edition. The Faber is therefore the true chronological first; the US FSC edition is the primary collectible for its complete contents. Landmark of confessional poetry.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not a book club. The crucial distinctions are precedence (Faber UK is chronologically first) and contents (only the US edition includes '91 Revere Street'). Verify the 'First printing, 1959' statement and the green cloth with green topstain for the US first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Life Studies* by Robert Lowell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/life-studies
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.