# Is "Empire of the Senseless" by Kathy Acker a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Empire of the Senseless by Kathy Acker (Grove Press, 1988) is identified by: First printing identified on the copyright page (Grove used a number line on the copyright page in this period). True first is the 1988 Grove Press (US) hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing identified on the copyright page (Grove used a number line on the copyright page in this period)
- Issued in hardcover: publisher's navy cloth over paper-covered boards, spine stamped in silver, in an illustrated dust jacket with the printed price intact
- Later-printing dust jackets carry a small letter code on the rear panel
- Publisher imprint reads Grove Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Kathy Acker |
| Publisher | Grove Press |
| Year | 1988 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing identified on the copyright page (Grove used a number line on the copyright page in this period) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing identified on the copyright page (Grove used a number line on the copyright page in this period). Issued in hardcover: publisher's navy cloth over paper-covered boards, spine stamped in silver, in an illustrated dust jacket with the printed price intact. Later-printing dust jackets carry a small letter code on the rear panel.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1988 Grove Press (US) hardcover. The UK Picador edition, also 1988, was a paperback (wraps).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
None notable.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Empire of the Senseless* by Kathy Acker a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/empire-of-the-senseless
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.