# Is "Tehanu: The Last Book of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Tehanu: The Last Book of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin (Atheneum / Macmillan, 1990) is identified by: The US Atheneum first printing carries the publisher's first-edition statement with a complete number line ending in 1 and a priced dust jacket. The US Atheneum/Macmillan edition is the true first; the UK Gollancz edition followed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The US Atheneum first printing carries the publisher's first-edition statement with a complete number line ending in 1 and a priced dust jacket
- Octavo, cloth-backed boards
- Fourth Earthsea book; winner of the Nebula Award for best novel
- Publisher imprint reads Atheneum / Macmillan
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ursula K. Le Guin |
| Publisher | Atheneum / Macmillan |
| Year | 1990 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The US Atheneum first printing carries the publisher's first-edition statement with a complete number line ending in 1 and a priced dust… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The US Atheneum first printing carries the publisher's first-edition statement with a complete number line ending in 1 and a priced dust jacket. Octavo, cloth-backed boards. Fourth Earthsea book; winner of the Nebula Award for best novel.

## Is this the true first?
The US Atheneum/Macmillan edition is the true first; the UK Gollancz edition followed.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club printings lack the first-edition statement and number line and carry an unpriced jacket; some show a blind gutter code on the rear board.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Tehanu: The Last Book of Earthsea* by Ursula K. Le Guin a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/tehanu-the-last-book-of-earthsea
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.