A unique first edition of The Little Prince avaliable at Peter Harrington NOW
The Film - Next month a brand new animated film of The Little Prince will be premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. The Little Prince is one of the best-selling books ever published with 2 million copies being sold annually and over 140 million copies having been sold in total. It is also claimed to be the most well-read book in the world and it was voted the best book of the 20th century in France.
The Book - Peter Harrington, the UK’s largest rare book seller and one of the leading rare book sellers in the world, have a unique first edition, presentation copy of The Little Prince in English with double inscriptions in French and an original half-page drawing of the Little Prince by the author, Antoine de Saint- Exupéry.
The Book’s History - This book has a fascinating history and was published in New York in April 1943, simultaneously in French and in English. Saint- Exupéry, a pilot, was part of the Free French Air Force but was living in New York during the Nazi occupation of France. When writing the book he asked a friend “how many stars can be seen from planet Earth?” and she asked Dorothy Barclay to find out. Dorothy phoned the Hayden Planetarium and gave Saint- Exupéry an answer which is used in Chapter 13 of the book.
Saint- Exupéry was so grateful to Dorothy he inscribed this copy of the book to her and drew a full page drawing depicting the Little Prince looking very sullen to have landed on planet Earth. In a speech bubble the Prince remarks “You’d have to be completely crazy to have chosen this planet. It is only pleasant at night when the inhabitants are asleep…”. Beneath, Saint-Exupéry wonderfully contradicts his own character’s misanthropy: “The Little Prince was wrong. There are on earth some inhabitants whose straightforwardness, sweetness, and generosity of heart make up for the avarice and egotism of the others. For example, Dorothy Barclay … With fondest remembrance Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.”
After the book was published Saint- Exupéry almost immediately left New York and not long after died fighting for the Free French Air Force in 1944 so he had very little time to inscribe many copies. Presentation copies are rare, and this, with a full page picture, moving inscription, and a wonderful back-story must be one of the very best.
Expert’s Opinion - Sammy Jay at Peter Harrington says “This is the finest copy Peter Harrington have ever encountered. It is much more than just a first edition as it is inscribed with an original drawing.” Sammy was so enamored with the book that he has made a short video about it which can be seen here.
Viewings - This book is available for inspection at Peter Harrington, 100 Fulham Rd, London, SW3 and is for sale for £150,000. Peter Harrington also have another good copy of the first edition of The Little Prince, finely bound by their own Chelsea Bindery, which is for sale for £1,875 as well as other books by Antoine de Saint- Exupéry.
THE LITTLE PRINCE PREMIERES AT CANNES FILM FESTIVAL IN MAY
Peter Harrington Background
Peter Harrington was established in 1969 and specialises in selling and buying the finest quality original first editions, signed, rare and antiquarian books, fine bindings and library sets. In the 1970’s Peter Harrington started a successful map and print business and in 2000 they established The Chelsea Bindery which employs some of the finest binders in the world who make fine bindings, preservation boxes and restore books.
Peter Harrington have two shops in London and books can also be purchased online at their fascinating website www.peterharrington.co.uk Peter Harrington offer an ‘unconditional guarantee’ for each item they sell on its authenticity and completeness, as described in their literature. They have an enormous stock of fine books dating from the fifteenth to the twentieth centuries in a broad range of subjects including children’s, modern and classical literature, science, natural history, economics, politics, philosophy, history, photography, art, sports, travel and exploration.
Their four-storey double-fronted shop at 100 Fulham Road, Chelsea, has more than 20,000 volumes and 6,000 prints and old maps whilst their recently opened NEW shop in Dover Street, Mayfair, has over 7,000 books arranged over two floors. The shops are open daily from Monday to Saturday and visitors who want to buy or sell books or just browse are warmly welcomed.
The company is now run by Pom Harrington (Peter’s son) who this year celebrates 21 years in the business. He has surrounded himself by over a dozen very experienced experts, many of whom are internationally known and are as passionate about books as he is.
No Comment