The title story portrays the birth of democracy in Eastern Europe, Standing Ground is set in an abortion clinic and features a teenage girl, and the story, Poacher, offers a new twist on Sleeping Beauty.

Collection of all her stories on animal themes. The title story won both the Hugo Award and the World Fantasy Award in 1988.

In this intriguing tale (not for children), storyteller extraordinaire Ursula K. Le Guin explores the magic of animals. Her animal characters -- from the irreverent trickster Coyote to the wise matriarch Grandmother Spider -- seem like people to us, just as they do to the little girl who finds herself living among them. We learn, with the girl, that these "Old People" once lived freely on the earth but now must maintain their lifeways carefully alongside the "New People" -- humans. Susan Seddon Boulet chose this tale to illustrate, completing twenty works for its publication. They are extremely effective in bringing Le Guin's characters to life, imbuing them, of course, with Boulet's singular vision of the otherworldly realms occupied by animal spirits. This book is a must for any serious collector of Boulet art.

Stories and poems deal with coyotes, lions, ants, cats, donkeys, horses, hawkes, plants, and rocks

A palace spider's extraordinary webs, which imitate paintings and carvings, take a new turn when she is thrown out into the garden.

“Ursula Le Guin is more than just a writer of adult fantasy and science fiction . . . she is a philosopher; an explorer in the landscapes of the mind.” – Cincinnati Enquirer The recipient of numerous literary prizes, including the National Book Award, the Kafka Award, and the Pushcart Prize, Ursula K. Le Guin is renowned for her spare, elegant prose, rich characterization, and diverse worlds. "Direction of the Road" is a short story originally published in the collection The Wind's Twelve Quarters.

A major study of the major and minor fiction, poetry, and children's books of SF and fantasy writer Ursula K. Le Guin. As Le Guin herself writes, "It is written in English, not academese, and will be of interest to a wide spectrum of students, scholars, and interested readers."