The points of issue
Black cloth boards, gilt spine lettering, 69 pp., octavo. The title-page verso states 'first edition'. Pictorial dust jacket. The same-year second impression deletes the 'first edition' statement, carries the code [b.3.47] on the copyright page, was styled 'Second Edition' on the jacket flap, and silently revised four poems: 'The Exile's Return,' 'The Quaker Graveyard in Nantucket,' 'The First Sunday in Lent,' and 'Where the Rainbow Ends.'
Is this the true first?
US true first. This was Lowell's second book, following the very scarce 1944 limited Land of Unlikeness, and won the 1947 Pulitzer Prize. The Faber UK edition followed, so there is no UK-precedence issue.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition of consequence. The trap is the same-year second impression, distinguished by the absence of the 'first edition' statement on the title-page verso, the [b.3.47] code, and the revised poem texts. The four revised poems are documented in Mazzaro's Lowell bibliography.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Lord Weary's Castle a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Black cloth boards, gilt spine lettering, 69 pp., octavo. The title-page verso states 'first edition'. Pictorial dust jacket. The same-year second impression deletes the 'first edition' statement, carries the code [b.3.47] on the copyright page, was styled 'Second Edition' on the jacket flap, and silently revised four poems: 'The Exile's Return,' 'The Quaker Graveyard in Nantucket,' 'The First Sunday in Lent,' and 'Where the Rainbow Ends.'
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. US true first. This was Lowell's second book, following the very scarce 1944 limited Land of Unlikeness, and won the 1947 Pulitzer Prize. The Faber UK edition followed, so there is no UK-precedence issue.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book-club edition of consequence. The trap is the same-year second impression, distinguished by the absence of the 'first edition' statement on the title-page verso, the [b.3.47] code, and the revised poem texts. The four revised poems are documented in Mazzaro's Lowell bibliography.
I have a first edition of Lord Weary's Castle — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.