A rare typescript by the famous man The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry will be on sale for 1.15 million euros next month, during the Abu Dhabi Art Festival in the United Arab Emirates. This is an extraordinary event, as this typescript represents one of only three known examplesIt had never been put up for public sale before.
Unlike the other two, one preserved at the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the other at the Harry Ransom Center in Texas, this copy: remained in Saint-Exupéry’s possession as your personal working copyand includes handwritten annotations and original drawings by the author.
Sammy Jay, literature specialist at the London bookshop Peter Harrington, who oversaw the sale, underlined the exceptional nature of this specimen. “It is rare to find a piece of such value”, he stated, comparing the work to the famous typescript of On The Road by Jack Kerouac, sold for $2.4 million in 2001.
The sketches and annotations make it “more personal” than the other two
Saint-Exupéry created the text in 1940 while in exile in New York, far from Nazi-occupied France. Not long after completing Le Petit PrinceSaint-Exupéry joined the Free French Air Force and undertook a reconnaissance mission, during which disappeared mysteriously in the Mediterranean in July 1944.
In addition to the rare typology of the document, the typescript has a particular emotional and historical value for literature enthusiasts. In fact, among its pages, the famous phrase appears for the first time: “On ne voit bien qu’avec le cœur. The essential is invisible for the eyes” (“You can only see well with your heart. The essential is invisible to the eye”), one of the most loved and well-known quotes in the world.
The importance of The Little Princefirst published in the United States in 1943, goes beyond words: it is one of the most translated books in the world and continues to touch the hearts of readers of all ages. The manuscript for sale, enriched by preliminary drawings and sketches of the little prince, therefore represents not only a work of art, but also a piece of world cultural history.
Jay highlighted the charm and intimacy of this piece, with sketches and annotations that they make it “more personal” than other specimens. This typescript of Le Petit Princecoming from a private French collection, has been carefully cataloged and studied by the bookshop managers Peter Harrington. There is speculation that it may end up in a museum or library outside Europe.