160,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ 

Happy Sunday! Auckland Store open until 5pm today πŸ“š

A Wizard of Earthsea

The First Book of Earthsea
4.01 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 352,399 ratings, 19,400 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin, a young wizard named Ged embarks on a journey to master his magical powers and understand the balance of the world. He faces numerous challenges and learns valuable lessons about pride, power, and the importance of knowing oneself. Set in a richly imaginative world, Ged's adventure is both a personal and epic tale of growth and discovery.
Read More
Format: Hardback
$3600
Elsewhere:
$3999
Backorder
STOCK ARRIVING MID NOVEMBER Order now to secure your copy from our next shipment

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you love epic tales of magic, adventure, and self-discovery set in a richly imagined world. The story follows a young, powerful wizard as he comes to terms with his abilities and faces the consequences of his actions, capturing the essence of classic fantasy with deep, thoughtful themes.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

A beautiful hardback edition of the classic A Wizard of Earthsea. The perfect addition to any library. With illustrations by Charles Vess.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin is a captivating journey through the mystical archipelago of Earthsea. As the first book in the revered Earthsea series, it introduces readers to Ged, a young boy destined to become the most powerful sorcerer of his age. Known in his youth as Sparrowhawk, Ged's insatiable thirst for knowledge and his reckless pursuit of power lead him to tamper with ancient and formidable forces. Unwittingly, he unleashes a malevolent shadow upon the world, a darkness that threatens to destroy everything he holds dear. This is the tale of Ged’s harrowing quest to conquer the shadow, mastering the potent words of power, taming an enigmatic dragon, and even traversing the realm of the dead to restore balance and harmony to Earthsea.

This beautiful hardback edition of A Wizard of Earthsea features stunning illustrations by the acclaimed artist Charles Vess. These vivid and enchanting illustrations bring the world of Earthsea to life, enhancing the timeless narrative with their imaginative depictions.

Renowned author Neil Gaiman praises the series, saying, "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." Similarly, David Mitchell urges readers to, "Drink this magic up. Drown in it. Dream it."

Le Guin’s masterful storytelling draws readers into a richly woven tapestry of myth and legend, where the pursuit of self-discovery, the struggle between light and darkness, and the intricate balance of nature and civilisation are explored with profound depth. Margaret Atwood describes the Earthsea trilogy as "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."

Complete your Earthsea collection with The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore, and Tehanu, and continue the journey through Le Guin’s extraordinary world. This edition is a must-have for both longstanding fans and new readers discovering the magic of Earthsea for the first time.

Series: The Earthsea Quartet

View all
  • A Wizard of Earthsea
    A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin is a captivating journey through the mystical archipelago of Earthsea. As the first book in the revered Earthsea series, it introduces readers to Ged, a young boy destined to become the most powerful sorcerer of his age. Known in his youth as Sparrowhawk, Ged's insatiable thirst for knowledge and his reckless...
    Hardback
    $3600
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    Backorder
    Ships mid November
  • The Farthest Shore
    The third book of EARTHSEA in a beautiful hardback edition. Complete the collection with A WIZARD OF EARTHSEA, THE TOMBS OF ATUAN and TEHANU. With illustrations from Charles Vess Darkness threatens to overtake Earthsea: the world and its wizards are losing their magic. Despite being wearied with age, Ged Sparrowhawkβ€”Archmage, wizard, and dragonlordβ€”embarks on a daring, treacherous journey, accompanied by...
    Hardback
    $3999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Tehanu
    The fourth book of Earthsea in a beautiful hardback edition. Complete the collection with A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, and The Farthest Shore. With illustrations from Charles Vess In this fourth novel in the Earthsea series, we rejoin the young priestess Tenar and the powerful wizard Ged. Years before, they had helped each other at a time...
    Hardback
    $3999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

A Wizard of Earthsea mesmerises readers with its profound and timeless narrative. Reviewers highlight its deep exploration of themes like life, death and self-discovery, praising Ursula K. Le Guin's enchanting prose. The book's magic lies in its evocative language and the rich, ancient feel of its storytelling.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781473223561

Publisher: Orion Publishing Co

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 27 June 2019

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Gollancz

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 26.0mm

Width: 132.0mm

Height: 200.0mm

Weight: 331g

Pages: 272

About the Author

Ursula K. Le Guin is one of the finest writers of our time. Her books have attracted millions of devoted readers and won many awards, including the National Book Award, the Hugo and Nebula Awards and a Newbery Honor. Among her novels, The Left Hand of Darkness, The Dispossessed and the six books of Earthsea have attained undisputed classic status; and her recent series, the Annals of the Western Shore, has won her the PEN Center USA Children's literature award and the Nebula Award for best novel. In 2014 Ursula Le Guin was awarded the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. She lived in Portland, Oregon, until she passed away in January 2018.

Read more at http://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/le_guin_ursula_k

Also by Ursula K. Le Guin

View all
  • The Books of Earthsea: The Complete Illustrated Edition
    Immerse yourself in the enchanting world of Earthsea, meticulously crafted by Ursula K. Le Guin. The Books of Earthsea: The Complete Illustrated Edition brings together all of the cherished tales from Le Guin's celebrated fantasy series, providing readers with an all-encompassing journey through this mystical archipelago. For the first time ever, this definitive collection features the entirety of Le Guin's...
    Hardback
    $6500
    Elsewhere:
    $7999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • On Sale
    23% off
    The Left Hand of Darkness
    'A rich and complex story of friendship and love' GUARDIAN 'Love doesn't just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.' Two people, until recently strangers, find themselves on a long, tortuous and dangerous journey across the ice. One is an outcast, forced to leave his beloved homeland; the other...
    Paperback
    $2000
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Left Hand of Darkness
    'Genre cannot contain Ursula Le Guin: she is a genre in herself' Zadie Smith'Groundbreaking' Guardian'No single work did more to upend the genre's conventions' Paris ReviewA lone human emissary journeys from Earth to the planet of Winter, an alien world whose inhabitants can choose - and change - their gender. His goal is to secure Winter's inclusion in a growing...
    Paperback
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Other Wind
    The wizard Alder comes from Roke to the island of Gont in search of the Archmage, Lord Sparrowhawk, once known as Ged. The man who was once the most powerful wizard in the Islands now lives with his wife Tenar and their adopted daughter Tehanu. Alder needs help: his beloved wife died and in his dreams she calls him to...
    Paperback
    $1999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Left Hand of Darkness
    'A rich and complex story of friendship and love' GUARDIAN 'Love doesn't just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.' Two people, until recently strangers, find themselves on a long, tortuous and dangerous journey across the ice. One is an outcast, forced to leave his beloved homeland; the other...
    Paperback
    $2300
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Tales from Earthsea
    These five superlative, evocative and enchanting stories range from a few hundred years before A Wizard of Earthsea to just before The Other Wind, and feature some of Le Guin's most popular characters, including the Wizard Ged himself. The stories are rounded off with an essay about Earthsea's history and people.No Earthsea fan will want to be without this magical...
    Paperback
    $1999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Word for World is Forest
    When the inhabitants of a peaceful world are conquered by the bloodthirsty yumens, their existence is irrevocably altered. Forced into servitude, the Athsheans find themselves at the mercy of their brutal masters. Desperation causes the Athsheans, led by Selver, to retaliate against their captors, abandoning their strictures against violence. But in defending their lives, they have endangered the very foundations...
    Paperback
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Dispossessed
    One of the very best must-read novels of all time - with a new introduction by Roddy Doyle 'A well told tale signifying a good deal; one to be read again and again' THE TIMES 'The book I wish I had written ... It's so far away from my own imagination, I'd love to sit at my desk one day...
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Ursula K. Le Guin's Book of Cats
    The Purr-fect Gift for Cat Lovers β€” Discover the literary legend's quirky and winsome cat poems, meditations, and drawings. Includes the hard-to-find The Art of Bunditsu, plus 30+ other delights from a lifetime of reflection on the mystery and magic of cats. "The presence of a cat keeps me in touch with the mystery, the unreasonableness, the beauty, the stubborn...
    Hardback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3400
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Five Ways to Forgiveness
    Set in the same universe as The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed, these five linked stories follow far-future human colonies living in the distant solar system. Here is the complete suite of five linked stories from Ursula K. Le Guin's acclaimed Hainish series, which tells the history of the Ekumen, the galactic confederation of human colonies founded by...
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching
    Embark on a profound journey through the mysteries of Taoism with Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching translated and commented upon by the remarkable Ursula K. Le Guin. This literary treasure invites readers into the timeless teachings of Lao Tzu, an ancient Chinese philosopher whose wisdom holds powerful relevance for the contemporary world. Through a series of poetic, thought-provoking verses, the...
    Paperback
    $3500
    Backorder
    Ships late November
  • The Dispossessed
    The Principle of Simultaneity is a scientific breakthrough that will revolutionise interstellar civilisation by making possible instantaneous communication. It is the life work of Shevek, a brilliant physicist from the arid anarchist world of Anarres. However, Shevek's work is being stifled by jealous colleagues, so he travels to Anarres's sister-planet Urras, hoping to find more liberty and tolerance there. But...
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    Backorder
    Ships mid November

More from Sci-Fi & Fantasy

View all
  • New Release
    Other Worlds Than These
    I wanted to go back to Mid-World, which was always the Territories by another name - Stephen King This is Stephen King and Peter Straub's epic and unforgettable finale to the Talisman Trilogy (including the novels The Talisman and Black House) and a wrapping up of the fate of the worlds in King's iconic, fiercely beloved Dark Tower epic. It...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Sixth Nik
    New Release
    The Sixth Nik
    Daniel Kraus, 2026 Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Angel Down and soon-to-be-a-film Whalefall, returns with The Sixth Nik, a galaxy spanning, genre-blending scifi literary horror, for fans of Ursula K Le Guin and the Alien franchise. Deep into space, far past the triworld outposts, beyond range of the lethal trollbot internet, soars The Sickness: a ship woven from biomatter and capable...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Massif
    On Sale
    18% off
    New Release
    Massif
    Caught me a mountain Rode it to the stars It's business as usual for Ship Leader Parnell Shi-Sawahla and the crew of the corvette Sassafras. Ride a Massif to a new system, fight the enemy, repeat. For more than two hundred years, humans have been hitching rides on these sentient, starfaring mountain ranges, colonising planets and exporting an on-again, off-again...
    Paperback
    $2700
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • He Who Fights With Monsters: Adventurer
    On Sale
    16% off
    New Release
    He Who Fights With Monsters: Adventurer
    He Who Fights With Monsters: Adventurer Book Two in Shirtaloon's wildly popular LitRPG series. The path from retail middle management to interdimensional wizard adventurer wasn't easy, but Jason Asano is settling into his new life. Now, a contest draws young elites to the city of Greenstone, competing for a grand prize. Jason must gather a band of companions if he...
    Paperback
    $2700
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • On Sale
    19% off
    New Release
    Scion
    β€˜Scion’ is an electrifying sci-fi thriller that follows a contract killer tasked with protecting a scientist from assassination, only to find himself in the crosshairs. My name’s Azure. I kill rich idiots for a living. All completely legal, of course, even if it does still make the old-fashioned crowd a bit uncomfortable. Once the ultra-wealthy realised they had a way...
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Project Hail Mary
    Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, the SUNDAY TIMES and NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of The Martian, offers a gripping new adventure in hard science fiction. With endorsement from notable figures such as Barack Obama and a slew of five-star reviews, this novel promises a thrilling and intellectually stimulating journey. Ryland Grace, a lone astronaut, finds himself on a...
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    (5)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Strength of the Few
    The highly anticipated follow-up to The Will of the Manyβ€”one of 2023's most lauded and bestselling fantasy novels. The Hierarchy still call me Vis Telimus. They still, as one, believe they know who I am. But with all that has happenedβ€”with what I fear is comingβ€”I am not sure it matters anymore. I am no longer one. I won the...
    Paperback
    $2899
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Red Rising
    The first book in the incredible New York Times bestselling series Darrow is a Helldiver, toiling beneath the surface of Mars. As a member of the Red caste, he performs grueling labor in the belief that his sacrifice will enable future generations to one day inhabit the surface of the Red Planet. The Reds are humankind's lowest caste, living in...
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Crossroads of Ravens
    THE GLOBAL PHENOMENON RETURNS... Every legend has an origin - and Geralt of Rivia's begins here. In this brand-new chapter of Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher series, follow Geralt in his earliest days as a Witcher, as he faces monsters and humans alike. Discover the untold stories and encounters that shaped the iconic character known today. Crossroads of Ravens brings readers into...
    Paperback
    $2899
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    Backorder
    Ships early November
  • Wind and Truth
    The long-awaited explosive climax to the first arc of the Number One New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive. Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson sees Dalinar Kholin challenge the evil god Odium to a contest of champions with the future of Roshar on the line. The Knights Radiant have only ten days to prepare, and the sudden ascension of the...
    Paperback
    $3100
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Ministry of Time
    One of the 18 best novels of the year for the Sunday Times A book of the year for the New York Times, Guardian, Independent, Evening Standard, Spectator, Red, NPR, Vanity Fair, People, Slate, Advocate, Sydney Morning Herald, Globe and Mail, Den of Geek, Good Housekeeping, Goodreads, NetGalley and Smithsonian Magazine 'A sparkling delight' Observer 'Make room on your bookshelves...
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (2)
    Backorder
    Ships mid November
  • Assassin’s Apprentice
    Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb marks the beginning of an extraordinary adventure in the rich and immersive world of the Six Duchies. Set against the backdrop of a kingdom teetering on the brink of civil war, this gripping tale introduces readers to FitzChivalry Farseer, a royal bastard whose existence threatens the stability of the crown. When the crown prince's secret...
    Paperback
    $1900
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 160,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.

Sci-Fi & Fantasy lists from the team

Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!