Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is more than a famous book. It is more than a lesson on love, friendship, loss, and the nature of human relationships. The book, first published in 1943, holds many records such as being the most translated book in the world, in over 300 languages, and selling millions of copies worldwide. Artnet News reports it even surpasses records set by J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
The beloved classic is now being offered for sale by the London-based rare book dealer Peter Harrington for $1.25 million. The typed copy was produced in New York by its author, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, while in exile from Nazi-occupied France in the 1940s, and is one of three known to be in existence. One is in the National Library of France, and another is in the Harry Ransom Center in Texas. The third book that will hit the auction block was part of a private collection in France.
The typescript also features handwritten notes and sketches of the author, who was an experienced aviator. Interestingly, his book is also about a pilot stranded in a desert who meets a small boy called the Little Prince who is visiting Earth. I guess that when one is living in exile during World War II, only imagination is an escape. The book will be sold at the Abu Dhabi Art Festival in the United Arab Emirates in November. Having the typed manuscript “is an extremely rare event,” said Sammy Jay, senior literature specialist at the typescript’s seller, Peter Harrington Rare Books.
