# Is "The Einstein Intersection" by Samuel R. Delany a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Einstein Intersection by Samuel R. Delany (Ace Books, 1967) is identified by: Ace mass-market paperback original, Ace number F-427, pictorial wraps, cover and interior art by Jack Gaughan, original the printed price cover price. True first is the Ace paperback original of 1967 (F-427).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Ace mass-market paperback original, Ace number F-427, pictorial wraps, cover and interior art by Jack Gaughan, original the printed price cover price
- Paperback original with no preceding hardcover
- The catalog number F-427 printed on the cover and spine identifies the issue
- Publisher imprint reads Ace Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Samuel R. Delany |
| Publisher | Ace Books |
| Year | 1967 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Ace mass-market paperback original, Ace number F-427, pictorial wraps, cover and interior art by Jack Gaughan, original the printed price… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Ace mass-market paperback original, Ace number F-427, pictorial wraps, cover and interior art by Jack Gaughan, original the printed price cover price. Paperback original with no preceding hardcover. The catalog number F-427 printed on the cover and spine identifies the issue.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the Ace paperback original of 1967 (F-427). The Victor Gollancz UK hardcover of 1968 is later and notably restores a chapter that the Ace text omits, but the Ace paperback remains the true first edition. Won the 1967 Nebula Award for Best Novel, tied with Daniel Keyes's Flowers for Algernon.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No paperback book-club edition. Later Ace printings carry a changed cover price and a different catalog number.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Einstein Intersection* by Samuel R. Delany a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-einstein-intersection
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.