And from one influential bit of fantasy to another: the first Earthsea book. The writing skill Le Guin displays here is absolutely stunning; this series usually gets treated as "young adult" literature, but the setting, writing style and characterisation is second to none, and it compares favourably to the other greats of the genre. No complaints here at all; I'd recommend this even if you're not usually a fantasy fan. I'll keep an eye out for the rest of the series.
The copy I've got is the Penguin edition with the cover art that Le Guin described as this pallid, droopy, lily-like guy -- I screamed at sight of him
, incidentally. She's right -- the cover's image of Ged really does bear no resemblance to the description in the text...
ISBN 0140304770.