# Is "Imperium in Imperio: A Study of the Negro Race Problem" by Sutton E. Griggs a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Imperium in Imperio: A Study of the Negro Race Problem by Sutton E. Griggs (The Editor Publishing Co., 1899) is identified by: The full title-page title reads 'Imperium in Imperio: A Study of the Negro Race Problem.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The full title-page title reads 'Imperium in Imperio: A Study of the Negro Race Problem
- A Novel,' published at Cincinnati by The Editor Publishing Co. in 1899
- Griggs financed the book's publication himself and sold copies door to door, a self-distribution model he continued when he founded the Orion Publishing Company for his later novels in 1901; the preface is dated 'Berkley, Va., March 1, 1899.' The novel depicts a secret Black shadow government operating within the United States, making it one of the earliest works of African American political and utopian fiction
- Publisher imprint reads The Editor Publishing Co.
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Sutton E. Griggs |
| Publisher | The Editor Publishing Co. |
| Year | 1899 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The full title-page title reads 'Imperium in Imperio: A Study of the Negro Race Problem |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
The full title-page title reads 'Imperium in Imperio: A Study of the Negro Race Problem. A Novel,' published at Cincinnati by The Editor Publishing Co. in 1899. Griggs financed the book's publication himself and sold copies door to door, a self-distribution model he continued when he founded the Orion Publishing Company for his later novels in 1901; the preface is dated 'Berkley, Va., March 1, 1899.' The novel depicts a secret Black shadow government operating within the United States, making it one of the earliest works of African American political and utopian fiction.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The novel has remained continuously available through many later paperback reprints and scholarly editions, including a Modern Library Classics edition; none of these post-1899 reprints reproduce The Editor Publishing Co. Cincinnati first edition, which Griggs sold door to door rather than through ordinary trade channels.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Imperium in Imperio: A Study of the Negro Race Problem* by Sutton E. Griggs a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/imperium-in-imperio-a-study-of-the-negro-race-problem
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.