As long ago as forever and as far away as Selidor, there lived the dragonlord and Archmage, Sparrowhawk, the greatest of the great wizards - he who, when still a youth, met with the evil shadow-beast; he who later brought back the Ring of Erreth-Akbe from the Tombs of Atuan; and he who, as an old man, rode the mighty dragon Kalessin back from the land of the dead. And then, the legends say, Sparrowhawk entered his boat, Lookfar, turned his back on land, and without wind or sail or oar moved westward over sea and out of sight.

I was thinking of buying this recently, and then found it amongst a pile of books Sarah was getting rid of. I was thrilled. I read The Wizard of Earthsea at school when I was about 13. I remember that it was really hard to get enthusiastic about, but by about half way through I was hooked and was disappointed when it was over. I think it's about time for a re-read, and continuing the series.