Extremely Rare Hand-Corrected Typescript of Le Petit Prince at Abu Dhabi Art 2024

Peter Harrington is marking its debut at Abu Dhabi Art 2024 with a rare carbon typescript of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s Le Petit Prince, featuring extensive handwritten corrections by the author throughout, as well as covers showing evidence of his stubbed-out cigarettes. 

According to the rare book dealer, this is one of only three known copies and the only time a typescript of Le Petit Prince has ever been offered for public sale, priced at $1.25m.

Visitors to the Collectors Salon at Manarat Al Saadiyat November 20-24 will have the opportunity to view the item. It includes what is believed to be the first written appearance of the famous line which Saint-Exupéry had reworked for several years:  “On ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.” 

Accompanying it are two original sketches of the Little Prince, including a preliminary design for the iconic final illustration, as well as a cashed check linked to the author’s personal history. "Saint-Exupéry finished Le Petit Prince in October 1942," said Anna Middleton, Bookseller & Cataloguer at Peter Harrington. "The following February, he was remobilized to fly for France. He went to Brookes Uniform Company and ordered the closest thing to a French air force uniform that the American brand could tailor. The cashed cheque for this uniform accompanies our typescript."

Peter Harrington’s exhibition theme 'Between the Sand and the Stars' reflects the desert’s pivotal role in the narrative of Le Petit Prince.