# Is "My Mother: Demonology" by Kathy Acker a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of My Mother: Demonology by Kathy Acker (Pantheon Books, 1993) is identified by: First edition, first printing; Pantheon number line reading down to 1; priced dust jacket. True first is the 1993 Pantheon Books (Random House) hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing
- Pantheon number line reading down to 1; priced dust jacket
- Orange boards with gilt spine titles
- Sometimes cataloged under the full title My Mother: Demonology, A Novel (ISBN 0679403493)
- The Grove trade paperback (ISBN beginning 0802134) is a later, separate format
- Publisher imprint reads Pantheon Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Kathy Acker |
| Publisher | Pantheon Books |
| Year | 1993 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing; Pantheon number line reading down to 1; priced dust jacket. Orange boards with gilt spine titles. Sometimes cataloged under the full title My Mother: Demonology, A Novel (ISBN 0679403493). The Grove trade paperback (ISBN beginning 0802134) is a later, separate format.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1993 Pantheon Books (Random House) hardcover.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue commonly noted; verify by intact priced jacket and number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *My Mother: Demonology* by Kathy Acker a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/my-mother-demonology
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.