Without wanting to beat around the bush, I am immensely pleased to announce a project that’s been underway for nearly 2 years now. Curious King will be publishing a fine press edition of The Books of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin, starting with “A Wizard of Earthsea” in 2026!
Yes, that’s right, a fine press Earthsea series! We have committed to the first three releases, which consists of “A Wizard of Earthsea”, “The Tombs of Atuan”, and “The Farthest Shore”. Some would argue they make up the original trilogy as Tehanu was written 20 years later.
What can I say about the Books of Earthsea that hasn’t already been said? Without doubt one of the cornerstones of classic fantasy with A Wizard of Earthsea hitting the shelves in 1968. In fact, it was classed as groundbreaking when released due to Le Guin’s use of a non-Western archipelago-based world. In an era when fantasy was dominated by white protagonists and Eurocentric worldbuilding, Le Guin also incorporated Taoist principles of balance, acceptance and harmony.
The novels focus on Ged, a young wizard from the island of Gont and his coming-of-age journey. The introspective storytelling and psychological depth of the books was uncommon within fantasy at the time and helped pave the way for more nuanced characters within the genre.
Ursula Le Guin has inspired a generation of writers with the likes of Earthsea and her much lauded forays into Science Fiction with “The Dispossessed” and “The Left Hand of Darkness”. The likes of N.K. Jemisin, Toni Adeyemi, Brandon Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss and China Miéville have referenced Le Guin as an influence.
Curious King Release
This is likely to be the next title that Publishers Rights apply to (www.curiousking.co.uk/rights for those unaware of PR). We’re planning to pre-order this in February/March 2026 and we will be doing three tiers, Lettered, Deluxe and Standard as per usual.
All books will be letterpress printed and handbound like our previous releases and we’re still working on the numbers at the moment. Most likely 26/250/750 on this one due its popularity and reputation as an all-time great fantasy series, certainly no more than those figures.
We also have the lovely Theo Downes-Le Guin contributing a signed essay to this release, which will be included within each book. Theo has been providing some very useful feedback in regard to the artwork and his mothers vision. Theo is the third-born child of Ursula K. Le Guin and Charles Le Guin, literary executor for Ursula’s works and heads the Ursula K. Le Guin Foundation. The books will also be signed by the artist, more on that person below!
Artist
I had to think long and hard about the artist on this project for several reasons. With a title like this, which has been around for a long time and regarded as a genuine classic, you need to nail the art.
Not only that, there have been a couple of other takes on Earthsea when it comes to art. Charles Vess did a lovely job of the illustrated version released by Gollancz, though it wasn’t to my taste. David Lupton also did a much darker and mature take on the art for The Folio Society, which was also executed well, but not quite how I envisioned the art for this story.
I really wanted to find someone who could split the two above. Something more mature than Vess, and more fantastical/mythical than Lupton. After a period of contemplation, there was a name that rose head and shoulders above the others as far as my vision for Earthsea was concerned… Tom Kidd!
Tom could quite easily be classed as a living legend when it comes to concept art and illustrating fiction. He most recently won the Locus Award for his rendition of The Last Unicorn for Suntup Editions, which is a beautiful take indeed and has won numerous awards over the years. His style could be described as; intricate imagination with a warm, whimsical touch. It’s a style I have admired for years and have always wondered which title I would collaborate with him on, and now I have it.
After seeing some of the finished pieces roll in, I was right! I can’t actually believe how perfect he is for Earthsea, it might be the best pairing of story and artist we’ve done so far. I currently have a good chunk of the artwork in already and you’re in for a treat. Just to give you an idea of how this is turning out, please feast your eyes on the painting below of Ged summoning Elfarran’s Ghost at the Land Gate…
Tom is contributing numerous paintings for this release, final number still to be confirmed but it’s more than a dozen. The plan is also to have Tom work on all three books in the trilogy.
Release
I’m currently knee-deep in bindings and concepts at the moment, and the plan is to have this up for pre-order early 2026. The interiors are underway and being prepped for platemaking already.
What is it going to look like? Well, you’re going to have to wait until next year for that. I’ll be using as much of Tom Kidd’s art as possible though, that’s for sure.
