The Dispossessed

First published in 1974, this science-fiction novel follows Shevek, a physicist from Anarres, an arid moon settled by anarchist exiles. He works on a theory of simultaneity that could transform communication, but his community treats individual distinction as a threat. He travels to Urras, the rich mother planet of nation-states, markets, and fixed gender roles, hoping to share the work and to test what each society costs its people. Chapters alternate his stay on Urras with his earlier life on Anarres. The book is a comparative novel of two political systems, not a space-war adventure.

Bound in blue/black cloth printed and blocked with a picture in grey. Mid-blue slipcase printed with a grey pattern.