An exceptional copy of The Little Prince will be presented at the Abu Dhabi Art fair in the United Arab Emirates at the end of November a typewritten copy with handwritten notes and corrections by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The rarity is worth 1.25 million dollars, Mail.ru reports with reference to The Guardian.
The historical value of this copy is confirmed by the fact that it was in it that the famous phrase first appeared, which became the philosophical heart of the work: “Only the heart can see clearly. The essential things are invisible to the eyes” (On ne voit bien qu’avec le cœur. L’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux).
The version put up for sale Is one of three typewritten copies with the author’s corrections existing in the world. The other two are stored in the Harry Ransom Center in Texas and the National Library of France. The peculiarity of this copy is that it served as a working copy for the author himself.
According to experts, Saint-Exupéry gave this copy to his beloved Sylvia Hamilton before his last return to Europe in April 1943. The writer died during a reconnaissance flight in July 1944.
The unique edition comes with two original pencil sketches of the main character and a receipt with the author’s signature, which further confirms its authenticity.
The Little Prince, first published in the United States in 1943 simultaneously in French and English, has become the most translated book in the world, not counting religious texts.