The Books of Earthsea: The Complete Illustrated Edition

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Now for the first time ever, they're all together in one volume-including the early short stories, Le Guin's Earthsea Revisioned Oxford lecture, and new Earthsea stories, never before printed. With a new introduction by Le Guin herself, this essential edition will also include over 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 totally new way. 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. Write, Critique, Revise, Repeat: On Le Guin and Asking the Hard Questions of Ourselves” by Mary Ann Mohanraj, Tor.com (1 November 2018) Imagined Worlds” (part of “100 Novels Everyone Must Read”) by Susanna Clarke, The Guardian (21 January 2009) This] trilogy made me look at the world in a new way, imbued everything with a magic that was so much deeper than the magic I'd encountered before then. This was a magic of words, a magic of true speaking - Neil Gaiman

Ursula K Le Guin to publish Earthsea story in print for first time” by Alison Flood, The Guardian (15 July 2016) Contains the short story, ‘The Daughter of Odren’, published in print for the first time, and the brand new story ‘Firelight’. Stories include: ‘A Wizard of Earthsea’, ‘The Tombs of Atuan’, ‘The Farthest Shore’, ‘Tehanu’, ‘Tales From Earthsea’, ‘The Other Wind’, ‘The Rule of Names’, ‘The Word of Unbinding’, ‘The Daughter of Odren’, and ‘Earthsea Revisioned: A Lecture at Oxford University’ 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 complete omnibus edition of the entire Earthsea chronicles, including over fifty illustrations illuminating Le Guin’s vision of her classic saga by Hugo and Locus Award-winning artist , Charles Vess.

Now for the first time ever, all together in one volume, The Books of Earthsea, contains the early short stories, Le Guin’s ‘Earthsea Revisioned’ Oxford lecture, and new Earthsea stories, never before printed. With a new introduction by Le Guin herself, this essential edition will also include over 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 totally new way. First on the content: Earthsea is a splendid series, on par with Tolkien or perhaps better. Le Guin is a story teller like few others. She looks deep into the human psyche, exploring the good, the bad, and everything between with a delicacy that leaves hope that light is greater than darkness, and perhaps there's good in darkness too. The books of the Earthsea series focus mainly on the inner struggles of the protagonists. Similar to Tolkien, there are individuals who fall to the influence of evil, but still evil is less personified. There are not ecosystems of monsters as there are in Tolkien, and even the worst villain is within reach of redemption. Charlie Higson's top 10 fantasy books for children” by Charlie Higson, The Guardian (15 September 2011) Two Publishers, One Series: The Latest Tale of Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea” by Sally Lodge, Publishers Weekly (2 August 2012) When Tehanuwas published I put a subtitle on it — "The Last Book of Earthsea." I was wrong! I was wrong!

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the timeless and beloved A Wizard of Earthsea - '...reads like the retelling of a tale first told centuries ago' (David Mitchell) - comes this complete omnibus edition of the entire Earthsea chronicles, including over fifty illustrations illuminating Le Guin's vision of her classic saga. Ursula K. Le Guin interviewed by Matthew Peterson, The Author Hour (audio, transcript available). (12 November 2009) Reasons Why Le Guin's Earthsea Books Can Still Change Your Life” by Charlie Jane Anders, io9 (6 November 2013) Now for the first time ever, they’re all together in one volume-including the early short stories, Le Guin’s “Earthsea Revisioned” Oxford lecture, and new Earthsea stories, never before printed. With a new introduction by Le Guin herself, this essential edition will also include over 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 totally new way. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the timeless and beloved A Wizard of Earthsea –‘…reads like the retelling of a tale first told centuries ago’ (David Mitchell) – comes this complete omnibus edition of the entire Earthsea chronicles, including over fifty illustrations illuminating Le Guin’s vision of her classic saga.

The Earthsea trilogy . . . is a memorable exploration of the relationship between life and death. . . Ged, its hero, must face his shadow self before it devours him. Only then will he become whole. In the process, he must contend with the wisdom of dragons: ambiguous and not our wisdom, but wisdom nonetheless - Margaret Atwood Ursula K. Le Guin introduced our world to hers in 1968 for the first time. It is a world of islands, surrounded by a sea that cannot be fully charted. The story begins with a young man showing magical promise and takes you on a fantastical journey with varying teachers, cultures, and social norms. If you’re looking for a commentary on society, you can find it; however, it’s not force-fed. Instead, this classic series is immersive and difficult to put down. If you’ve read it in the past and are unsure of whether it will withstand the test of time, have no fear. It’s even better as an adult. Each book in the series features a new hero or heroine, but the threads are woven tightly and we never leave behind one character for long. Dragons are not inherently bad, and shadows aren’t always as they seem. People are good and bad, and magic is both predictable and wild. 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? Art of SFF: Charles Vess on Working with Ursula Le Guin on The Books of Earthsea” by Aidan Moher, Tor.com (9 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)Now for the first time ever, they’re all together in one volume—including the early short stories, Le Guin’s “Earthsea Revisioned” Oxford lecture, and a new Earthsea story, never before printed.

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. Contains the short story, 'The Daughter of Odren', published in print for the first time, and her last story 'Firelight'. This hardbound edition includes not only the Earthsea Cycle novels, but a never-before-printed short story and the text of her Oxford lecture on Earthsea as well. It’s all brought together with gorgeous illustrations by Charles Vess, further transporting you to Earthsea. The inside of the front cover draws you in with true-to-the-story art. Photo by A. Leach Who should read ‘The Books of Earthsea’? Ursula K. Le Guin Is Publishing a New Earthsea Tale” by Nicholas Politan, Electric Literature (18 July 2016) 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.

What is Earthsea?

Contains the short story, ‘The Daughter of Odren’, published in print for the first time, and her last story ‘Firelight’.