# Is "The Old Glory" by Robert Lowell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Old Glory by Robert Lowell (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1965) is identified by: Lowell's first dramatic work: a trilogy of three plays (Endecott and the Red Cross; My Kinsman, Major Molineux; Benito Cereno) after Hawthorne and Melville. US FSG first edition of 1965 precedes the 1968 revised edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Lowell's first dramatic work: a trilogy of three plays (Endecott and the Red Cross
- My Kinsman, Major Molineux
- Benito Cereno) after Hawthorne and Melville
- First edition, FSG, black cloth with dust jacket, stated 'First Printing, 1965.' A revised edition followed in 1968
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus & Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Lowell |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus & Giroux |
| Year | 1965 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Lowell's first dramatic work: a trilogy of three plays (Endecott and the Red Cross |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Lowell's first dramatic work: a trilogy of three plays (Endecott and the Red Cross; My Kinsman, Major Molineux; Benito Cereno) after Hawthorne and Melville. First edition, FSG, black cloth with dust jacket, stated 'First Printing, 1965.' A revised edition followed in 1968.

## Is this the true first?
US FSG first edition of 1965 precedes the 1968 revised edition.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Old Glory* by Robert Lowell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-old-glory
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.