Ursula K. Le Guin Word for World Paperback Book

When Ursula K. Le Guin started writing a new story, she would begin by drawing a map. The Word for World presents a selection of these images by the celebrated author, many of which have never been published before, to consider how her imaginary worlds enable us to reenvision our own. Le Guins maps offer journeys of consciousness beyond conventional cartography, from the Rorschachlike archipelagos of Earthsea to the talismanic maps of Always Coming Home. Rather than remaining within known terrain, they open up paradigms of knowledge, exemplified by the maps edges and how a map is read, made and remade, together. The Word for World brings her maps together with poems, stories, interviews, recipes and essays by contributors from a variety of perspectives to enquire into the relationship between worlds and the imagination and representation of them. With contributions by Federico Campagna, Theo DownesLe Guin, Daniel Heath Justice, Bhanu Kapil, Canisia Lubrin, Una McCormack, David Naimon, Nisha Ramayya, Shoshone Collective, Standard Deviation, Marilyn Strathern. Copublished by Spiral House and AA Publications to coincide with an exhibition of Ursula K. Le Guins maps at the Architectural Association, London, opening on 10 October 2025. | Ursula K. Le Guin Word for World Paperback Book