The Art of Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness

From Feminist SF Wiki
Revision as of 18:25, 5 January 2011 by Lquilter (talk | contribs) (fmt)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin, first published in 1969.

Error creating thumbnail: File missing
First edition, Ace Science Fiction Special 47800. Cover art by Leo Dillon and Diane Dillon.

A strong thread of cover illustrations show dual image. Here, it could be two people -- Genly Ai and Estraven -- or the dual nature of the Gethenians.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Walker & Co. / Science Fiction Book Club, 1969, hardcover. Cover artist, Jack Gaughan. First hardcover edition. See ISFDB; ISFDB

An early hardback cover, prefiguring much of the cover art of the late 20th and early 21st centuries with its emphasis on a minimalist blue and white landscape.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Panther Science Fiction edition (1977); ISBN 0-586-03641-5. See [1].
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
MacDonald Science Fiction edition
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Presses Pocket (1984) ISBN 2-266-02843-X. French translation by Jean Bailhache, as La main gauche de la nuit.

clearer here in the original.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Presses Pocket, #5191 (1989).

An unusual treatment; possibly the spaceship that brought Genly Ai to Gethen, or perhaps one of the buildings on Gethen?
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Evocative of frost.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Ace (ISBN 0-441-47809-3); Walker 25th Anniversary Edition, 1994. Art by Alex Ebel. See ISFDB; ISFDB.

A popular paperback cover -- note the Janus-like figure referring to the Gethenians' dual nature.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Gollancz SF Masterworks edition. ISBN 0-575-07219-9. Cover by Tim White. See ISFDB.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Science Fiction Book Club 50th Anniversary Collection edition (2004); #15. ISBN 0-7394-4881-1. Cover by Bob Eggleton. See ISFDB.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Ace, 1991. ISBN 0-441-47812-3. See ISFDB.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Ace, 2000. ISBN 0-441-47812-3. Design by Alex Ebel. See ISFDB.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
The Little, Brown (UK) 2009 edition. ISBN 9781841496061.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Polish edition, ""Lewa ręka ciemności"
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Orbit, 1986. ISBN 0-7088-8081-9. Cover by Tim White. See ISFDB.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
First edition, Ace Science Fiction Special 47800. Cover art by Leo Dillon and Diane Dillon.

A strong thread of cover illustrations show dual image. Here, it could be two people -- Genly Ai and Estraven -- or the dual nature of the Gethenians.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Ace Paperbacks. Ace 47800B or 478008. Unverified but possibly the 1972 Ace cover by Josh Kirby.

An outlier among covers, with the imagery evocative of flames, and a strongly masculine face -- Genly Ai's, perhaps? The Promethean imagery also does not seem particularly apt -- presumably, a reference to the Gethenians' fears about what Genly Ai might be bringing them.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Ace (ISBN 0-441-47809-3); Walker 25th Anniversary Edition, 1994. Art by Alex Ebel. See ISFDB; ISFDB.

A popular paperback cover -- note the Janus-like figure referring to the Gethenians' dual nature.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing