# Is "Pussy, King of the Pirates" by Kathy Acker a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Pussy, King of the Pirates by Kathy Acker (Grove Press, 1996) is identified by: First edition, first printing; Grove Press number line down to 1; priced dust jacket on the hardcover. True first is the 1996 Grove Press, New York edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing
- Grove Press number line down to 1; priced dust jacket on the hardcover
- Issued in both cloth (hardcover in dust jacket) and trade wrappers in the same year
- Illustrated by S. Clay Wilson
- Acker's last novel
- Publisher imprint reads Grove Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Kathy Acker |
| Publisher | Grove Press |
| Year | 1996 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing; Grove Press number line down to 1; priced dust jacket on the hardcover. Issued in both cloth (hardcover in dust jacket) and trade wrappers in the same year. Illustrated by S. Clay Wilson. Acker's last novel.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1996 Grove Press, New York edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
None notable; confirm by number line and unclipped priced jacket on the hardcover state.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Pussy, King of the Pirates* by Kathy Acker a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/pussy-king-of-the-pirates
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.