Tehanu (1990) Signed First Edition Reference

Tehanu returned Le Guin to Earthsea after an eighteen-year absence, and the world she returned to was fundamentally different. Published by Atheneum in 1990, the fourth Earthsea novel follows Tenar (from The Tombs of Atuan) in middle age, caring for a burned and abused child, while Ged returns from his quest in The Farthest Shore stripped of his magical powers. The novel won the Nebula Award and radically revised the Earthsea cycle by centering women’s experience and questioning the patriarchal power structures that the earlier books had taken for granted.

First Edition Identification

Publisher: Atheneum, New York Publication date: 1990 Format: Hardcover in dust jacket

Signed Copy Market Values

• Signed first edition, fine/fine: $100–$300
• Unsigned first edition: $15–$40

Tehanu was controversial upon publication — readers who loved the adventure-fantasy of the original trilogy were surprised by its domestic, feminist register. But the novel’s reputation has grown steadily, and many now consider it the finest Earthsea book. Le Guin’s generous late-career signing means that signed copies are available.