Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm - Lettered Edition

A haunting meditation on the dichotomies—and surprising parallels—of science and the soul, Kate Wilhelm’s Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang is one of the most celebrated science fiction novels of the 20th century. Winner of the Hugo, Locus, Jupiter and John W. Campbell Memorial awards, it remains as poignant and prescient today as when it first appeared.

In a near-future ravaged by ecological collapse and human infertility, the Sumner family, a large and wealthy clan in Virginia, takes drastic steps to preserve the species—through cloning. Initially, this strategy ensures survival, but as generations pass, the cloned society begins to experience a quiet unraveling. What begins as a utopian solution soon gives way to existential questions about identity, creativity, and the cost of conformity. With prose as elegant as it is unsettling, Wilhelm explores what it truly means to be human in a world where individuality is the ultimate rebellion.

Before the publication of Wilhelm’s novel, part one of Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang was featured in the fifteenth edition of Orbit, an anthology series celebrated for showcasing boundary-pushing science fiction that challenged the norms of the genre. Upon the novel’s full publication by Harper & Row in 1976, Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang was universally hailed by critics and peers alike as a landmark work of speculative fiction by a pioneering voice.

Wilhelm’s novel endures as a profound exploration of humanity’s essence, reminding us that survival devoid of individuality and creativity leads to a hollow existence.

The limited edition of Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm is presented in three states: Lettered, Numbered and Artist editions.

LETTERED EDITION

• 6” x 9” trim size.
• 296 Pages.
• Limited to 26 copies.
• Signed by Lisa Tuttle and Luke Hillestad.
• Introduction by Lisa Tuttle.
• Seven illustrations by Luke Hillestad, printed as fine art giclée prints on Hahnemühle Bugra and tipped on.
• Handbound in goatskin and handmade paper by renowned paper makers Cave Paper. The binding design draws inspiration from a moment in Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang where the sky is revealed in its pure, star-filled beauty. The upper two-thirds of the cover is covered in dark blue goatskin, evoking the boundless night sky, while the handmade paper below suggests the quiet expanse of the Shenandoah Valley. A constellation of stars, foil-blocked across the leather, recalls the novel’s depiction of a world returned to natural wonder—a quiet tribute to the enduring connection between the earth and the heavens.
• Designed by multi-award winning designer Jason Dewinetz, the text pages are set in Monotype Bembo and are printed letterpress on 150 gsm mouldmade Hahnemühle Biblio paper by Max Koch. 
  
• Endsheets are flocked velour. 
  
• Fold-out of the Artist edition dust jacket illustration by Luke Hillestad is included in this state.
• Head and tail bands are handmade with leather. 
• Housed in a cloth covered clamshell enclosure with a foil blocked spine label and velour-lined trays. 
  
• Bookmark with all pre-orders.
  

Published editions may differ slightly from mockups and prototype designs.
Illustrations © 2024 by Luke Hillestad.