# Is "The Tainted Cup" by Robert Jackson Bennett a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (Del Rey / Random House, 2024) is identified by: First Del Rey hardcover, February 6, 2024 (ISBN 9781984820709). The US Del Rey 2024 hardcover is the true first; the UK (Hodderscape) 2024 edition is a separate near-simultaneous first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First Del Rey hardcover, February 6, 2024 (ISBN 9781984820709)
- First printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a complete number line including 1, and the dust jacket carries the printed price
- First in the Shadow of the Leviathan series
- Publisher imprint reads Del Rey / Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Jackson Bennett |
| Publisher | Del Rey / Random House |
| Year | 2024 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First Del Rey hardcover, February 6, 2024 (ISBN 9781984820709) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First Del Rey hardcover, February 6, 2024 (ISBN 9781984820709). First printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a complete number line including 1, and the dust jacket carries the printed price. First in the Shadow of the Leviathan series.

## Is this the true first?
The US Del Rey 2024 hardcover is the true first; the UK (Hodderscape) 2024 edition is a separate near-simultaneous first. Won the 2025 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition is the standard concern; verify the 'First Edition' statement and number line ending in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Tainted Cup* by Robert Jackson Bennett a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-tainted-cup
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.