Earthsea Books in Order
Ursula K. Le Guin has written 9 Earthsea books, published between 1968 and 2018: 7 in the Earthsea Cycle and 2 related titles. The first book is A Wizard of Earthsea (1968) and the newest main-line book is Firelight (2018). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 9
- Published
- 1968–2018
- Confirmed
- 8 of 9 titles
- Pages on record
- 1,631 in 7 of 9 books
- Reading time
- 27–41 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 1,631 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 7 of 9 titles with a page count on record.
Earthsea is Ursula K. Le Guin's fantasy world of wizards and magic, with Ged among its figures and much of the writing addressed to children. Nine catalogued books open with A Wizard of Earthsea (1968) and continue through The Tombs of Atuan (1970), The Farthest Shore (1972), Tehanu (1990) and The Other Wind (2001) to Firelight in 2018. Short fiction and non-fiction about Earthsea sit beside the novels.
How many Earthsea books are there?
Earthsea has 9 books, released between 1968 and 2018. 7 of them belong to the Earthsea Cycle, and 2 related titles sit outside it: non-fiction and short stories and novellas.
Earthsea Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 9 Earthsea books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 119682643/4
- 219701803/4
- 319722723/4
- 419902813/4
- 51993263/4
- 620012803/4
- 720013283/4
- 82014–3/4
- 92018–2/4
Earthsea Books in Chronological Order
By publication date, the books of the Earthsea Cycle run from A Wizard of Earthsea (1968) to Firelight (2018), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Earthsea in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.
Do you have to read Earthsea books in order?
You should read the Earthsea Cycle in publication order, the order of the numbered table above; the 2 related titles (non-fiction and short stories and novellas) sit outside that sequence. The catalogue does not record whether each Earthsea book also stands alone.
Where to start with Earthsea
Start with A Wizard of Earthsea (1968), the earliest published book in the Earthsea Cycle.
What is the newest Earthsea book?
Firelight (2018) is the newest book in the Earthsea Cycle.
Is there a new Earthsea book coming?
No next Earthsea book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Awards Earthsea has won
Wikidata records 8 awards and 4 nominations for Earthsea. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- Margaret Edwards Award2004Wonfor A Wizard of Earthsea
- Endeavour Award2002Wonfor Tales from Earthsea
- Locus Award for Best Collection2002Wonfor Tales from Earthsea
- World Fantasy Award for Best Novel2002Wonfor The Other Wind
- Nebula Award for Best Novel1991Wonfor Tehanu
- Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel1991Wonfor Tehanu
- National Book Award1973Wonfor The Farthest Shore
- Newbery Honor1972Wonfor The Tombs of Atuan
- British Fantasy Award for Best Collection2003Shortlistedfor Tales from Earthsea
- Nebula Award for Best Novel2003Shortlistedfor The Other Wind
- Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel2002Shortlistedfor The Other Wind
- World Fantasy Award for Best Novel2002Shortlistedfor The Other Wind
Earthsea at a glance
- No recent titles
- The newest main-line Earthsea title on record is Firelight (2018), 8 years ago.
- Release pace
- Earthsea books have appeared about one every 6 years on average.
- Length
- 1,631 pages across the 7 of 9 books with a recorded length, a median of 272 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Earthsea books, 2 of 9, were published in the 2010s.
What the Earthsea books are about
7 of the 9 Earthsea books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: fantasy is tagged on 6 of 7. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Fantasy 6 of 7 books
- Magic 6 of 7 books
- Wizards 6 of 7 books
- Ged (Fictitious character) 3 of 7 books
- Magic in fiction 3 of 7 books
- Children's fiction 2 of 7 books
More books by Ursula K. Le Guin
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Ursula K. Le Guin books in order 121 books