Ursula K. Le Guin — The Books of Earthsea (2024)

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Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea novels are some of the most acclaimed and awarded works in literature—they have received prestigious accolades such as the National Book Award, a Newbery Honor, the Nebula Award, and many more honors, commemorating their enduring place in the hearts and minds of readers and the literary world alike.

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the timeless and beloved A Wizard of Earthsea that “reads like the retelling of a tale first told centuries ago” (David Mitchell)—this omnibus edition encompasses the entire Earthsea chronicles, including the early short stories, Le Guin’s “Earthsea Revisioned” Oxford lecture, and a new Earthsea story, never before printed.

With a new introduction by Le Guin herself, this essential edition also includes fifty illustrations by renowned artist Charles Vess, specially commissioned and selected by Le Guin, to bring her refined vision of Earthsea and its people to life in a new way.

With stories as perennial and universally beloved as The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of The Rings—but also unlike anything but themselves—this edition is perfect for those new to the world of Earthsea, as well as those who are well-acquainted with its enchanting magic: to know Earthsea is to love it.

The Books of Earthsea was published in 2018 by Saga Press.

Winner of the 2019 Hugo Award for Best Art Book
Winner of the 2019 Locus Award for Best Art Book

A Note from Ursula

The order of the books is:

• A Wizard of Earthsea

• The Tombs of Atuan

• The Farthest Shore

• Tehanu

• Tales from Earthsea

• The Other Wind

They run in chronological order both in this world (from 1968 to 2001) and in Earthsea. There is a jump of 17 Earth years and 20 or more Earthsea years between the first three and the second three. Some of the Tales take place before Ged and Tenar were born. The last one, “Dragonfly,” follows afterTehanu; andThe Other Windfollows after “Dragonfly”; that story is an important bridge in the series as a whole.

WhenTehanuwas published I put a subtitle on it — "The Last Book of Earthsea." I was wrong! I was wrong!

I really thought the story was done; Tenar had finally got her second inning, and Ged and Tenar were obviously happy-ever-after, and if I didn't know exactly who or what Tehanu was, it didn't bother me.

But then it began to bother me.

And a lot of things about Earthsea were bothering me, like do wizards really have to be celibate, if witches don't? and how come no women at Roke? and who are the dragons? and where do Kargish people go when they die?

I found the answers to a lot of those questions in the stories that make theTales from Earthsea.

So then I was able to find out who Tehanu is — and who the dragons are — inThe Other Wind.

—Ursula K. Le Guin

Praise

“Le Guin’s words are magical. Drink this magic up. Drown in it. Dream it.”

—David Mitchell

“To return to Earthsea today is to encounter a different kind of fantasy work, where knowing oneself is a painstaking, ceaseless endeavor. It is an end in itself, not a means for characters to engage in bigger, supposedly more consequential issues. It is what the story is about, and the wonders Earthsea offers are scaled accordingly, to the sublime horizons of a life.”

—Ryu Spaeth, The New Republic

Supplements

• “A Work in Progress: Earthsea Sketches by Charles Vess” at Ursula’s blog (1 May 2017)

• “The Big Book of Earthsea” at Ursula’s blog (July 2016)

• Maps of Earthsea

• “How do you pronounce names and words in your books?”

• BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatization of the first three Earthsea books

Excerpt

• “Firelight” at The Paris Review (subscription required to view full story)

Reviews and Articles

• “John Plotz on Earthsea, Anarchism, and Ursula K. Le Guin,” by John Plotz & Elizabeth Ferry, Public Books (21 February 2024)

• “Novel Thoughts: Earthsea Cycle shows adults how to imagine again” by Tammy Marshall, Bristol Herald Courier (20 March 2022)

• “Shelf Care: Immerse yourself in the rich fantasy world of Earthsea” by Ong Sor Fern, The Straits Times (18 August 2021)

• “The Revelations of Rereading” by Jenn Northington, Book Riot (9 February 2021)

• “There Has Never Been a Better Time to Read Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea Books” by Juan Michael Porter II, Electric Literature (17 June 2020)

• “Karen Haber Reviews The Books of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin” by Karen Haber, Locus (9 May 2019)

• The Books of Earthsea starred review, Library Journal (1 December 2018)

• “Art of SFF: Charles Vess on Working with Ursula Le Guin on The Books of Earthsea” by Aidan Moher, Tor.com (9 November 2018)

• “Write, Critique, Revise, Repeat: On Le Guin and Asking the Hard Questions of Ourselves” by Mary Ann Mohanraj, Tor.com (1 November 2018)

• “Gorgeous, Definitive, Essential: Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Books of Earthsea: The Complete Illustrated Edition” by Ceridwen Christensen, B&N SFF Blog (24 October 2018)

• “This Illustrated Collection of Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea Books Finally Does the Series Justice” by Andrew Liptak, The Verge (15 May 2018)

• “Charles Vess Talks Slipping Into Ursula K. Le Guin’s Brain to Draw Earthsea Dragons,” Tor.com (19 July 2016)

• “Ursula K. Le Guin Is Publishing a New Earthsea Tale” by Nicholas Politan, Electric Literature (18 July 2016)

• “Ursula K Le Guin to publish Earthsea story in print for first time” by Alison Flood, The Guardian (15 July 2016)

• “Top 10 feminist heroes in fiction” by Maria Turtschaninoff, The Guardian (14 January 2016)

• “My inspiration: SF Said on Ursula Le Guin” by SF Said, The Guardian (15 July 2014)

• “Best YA Novel of All Time? EW Staff Pick: 'The Earthsea Cycle'” by Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly (19 November 2013)

• “10 Reasons Why Le Guin's Earthsea Books Can Still Change Your Life” by Charlie Jane Anders, io9 (6 November 2013)

• Interview with Ursula K. Le Guin at Karabatak Magazine (9th Issue, Summer 2013)

• “Two Publishers, One Series: The Latest Tale of Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea” by Sally Lodge, Publishers Weekly (2 August 2012)

• “Charlie Higson's top 10 fantasy books for children” by Charlie Higson, The Guardian (15 September 2011)

• Ursula K. Le Guin interviewed by Matthew Peterson, The Author Hour (audio, transcript available). (12 November 2009)

• “Imagined Worlds” (part of “100 Novels Everyone Must Read”) by Susanna Clarke, The Guardian (21 January 2009)

• "Two Trilogies and a Mystery: Speculations on the Earthsea Stories" by Margaret Mahy, Magpies (Vol. 17 No, 3, July 2002)

• “Which Wizard Beats 'Em All?” by James Gorman, The New York Times (11 January 2002)

• “Fantasy Island: Ursula Le Guin Remakes the World” by Meredith Tax, The Village Voice (30 October 1990)

• “Archimage and antimage” by T.A. Shippey, TLS (15 July 1977)