# Is "Imaginative Qualities of Actual Things" by Gilbert Sorrentino a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Imaginative Qualities of Actual Things by Gilbert Sorrentino (Pantheon Books, 1971) is identified by: First edition stated, Pantheon Books, New York, issued September 1971 (243 pages; ISBN 0394471083 on this and the SBN-era printing). True first is the 1971 Pantheon edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition stated, Pantheon Books, New York, issued September 1971 (243 pages
- ISBN 0394471083 on this and the SBN-era printing)
- Bound in wheat cloth boards with black spine lettering; book design by Kenneth Miyamoto and jacket design by Bob Anthony
- The first-issue dust jacket should retain its original printed price on the flap (a clipped jacket is a condition point, not an edition point)
- Publisher imprint reads Pantheon Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Gilbert Sorrentino |
| Publisher | Pantheon Books |
| Year | 1971 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition stated, Pantheon Books, New York, issued September 1971 (243 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition stated, Pantheon Books, New York, issued September 1971 (243 pages; ISBN 0394471083 on this and the SBN-era printing). Bound in wheat cloth boards with black spine lettering; book design by Kenneth Miyamoto and jacket design by Bob Anthony. The first-issue dust jacket should retain its original printed price on the flap (a clipped jacket is a condition point, not an edition point).

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1971 Pantheon edition. Later Dalkey Archive and North Point reissues are separate, much later printings.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
None notable; the 1971 Pantheon hardcover with stated first edition and priced jacket is the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Imaginative Qualities of Actual Things* by Gilbert Sorrentino a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/imaginative-qualities-of-actual-things
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.