The Books of Earthsea

Ursula K. Le Guin — 2018

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. Contains the short story, 'The Daughter of Odren', published in print for the first time, and her last story 'Firelight'. 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. 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. 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' 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. - 1,008 pages - 56 illustrations (including seven lavishly coloured plate sections) - maps of Earthsea - stunningly beautiful endpapers - Six novels - 4 short stories - An essay

Reviews

Lucia Correa@lucec

Nov 22, 2022

Edit: Adding link for 11/10/18 Interview with Charles Vess about working with Le Guin https://bit.ly/2Qzd9PP * * * 5 stars for this HUGE gorgeous book. Rating is not for the story itself. I read the first four books years ago in paperback. I mainly bought this particular book because Charles Vess (the illustrator) is one of my favorite artists. I first discovered him when he illustrated Stardust (written by Neil Gaiman), when it first came out as a 4 part graphic novel (1997). I was surprised when I opened the box. It weighs 5 lbs! When I ordered it I didn't catch that this book is 1000 pages. Normally, I read in bed and I'd knock myself out if it fell on my head. So, I guess I'll read re-read my paperbacks or switch to the ebooks.

Fraser Simons@frasersimons

Jun 9, 2022

It is a magical thing to read these in order, all at once. There’s barely a few pages here that I wasn’t that into. Those just just from the fifth books collection of stories. Everything else really does build nicely on each other. From books to the short stories afterward, the overall narrative benefits immensely from the buildup. Each book I liked more than the last even though all were incredible. The only gripe would be I expected more artwork and the font is very small. It’s a heavy book on your lap reading in bed but those are all small gripes that didn’t hamper my experience much. Books that clock in at 280 pages were 150 ish in this one, making the fiction quite dense to get through sometimes. I don’t think I’d want it to be any bigger though, haha!

Phil James@philjames

Sep 3, 2021

I started this book 45 years ago and just finished it now! I got myself this magnificent edition of all the novels, with a few short stories and the author's comments , to finally catch up from where I left off in Mrs. Cooper's primary school class. At 10 I was avidly reading anything that looked interesting in the little book stand in the corner of the classroom. " The Wizard of Earthsea" blew my mind, but although in later years I re-read it I never read the others. Funnily enough I'm glad I waited, because I can see now how the experience and wisdom of Ursula K. Le guin developed over a lifetime as she carried on writing of the world I loved so much. I can see also how my taste in books and even my world-view was informed by that one book and how my philosophy and politics have evolved in parallel with the following books. Thank-you Ursula.