# Is "Oath of Fealty" by Larry Niven a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Oath of Fealty by Larry Niven (Phantasia Press, 1981) is identified by: Phantasia Press first edition, 1981, limited to 750 numbered copies signed by both authors on a bound-in limitation leaf; beige cloth with matching slipcase and wraparound full-color jacket. US Phantasia Press first hardcover precedes the later Pocket Books paperback edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Phantasia Press first edition, 1981, limited to 750 numbered copies signed by both authors on a bound-in limitation leaf; beige cloth with matching slipcase and wraparound full-color jacket
- Co-written with Jerry Pournelle
- Publisher imprint reads Phantasia Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Larry Niven |
| Publisher | Phantasia Press |
| Year | 1981 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Phantasia Press first edition, 1981, limited to 750 numbered copies signed by both authors on a bound-in limitation leaf; beige cloth with… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Phantasia Press first edition, 1981, limited to 750 numbered copies signed by both authors on a bound-in limitation leaf; beige cloth with matching slipcase and wraparound full-color jacket. Co-written with Jerry Pournelle.

## Is this the true first?
US Phantasia Press first hardcover precedes the later Pocket Books paperback edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No relevant hardcover book club edition; the Phantasia first is the signed, numbered, slipcased limited, so the blind-stamp/no-price book-club identifier does not apply to this title's true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Oath of Fealty* by Larry Niven a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/oath-of-fealty
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.