Rare typescript of 'The Little Prince' goes on sale for $1.25 million | ABS CBN News

A rare typescript of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's "The Little Prince," containing extensive handmade corrections by the French author and described by book dealers as "literary treasure," will soon go on sale for $1.25 million. Considered the world's most translated book besides religious texts, the novella about a child who travels from planet to planet gaining wisdom was published at the height of World War II, when Saint-Exupery fought for the Allies in the French air force. Bound in a worn, black cover, the French-language typescript of "Le Petit Prince" was written in New York during the author's exile from occupied France, London-based Peter Harrington Rare Books said. It is one of only three known copies in existence, with the other two sitting in the Harry Ransom Center in Texas and France's national library. The typescript features what is thought to be the first written appearance of one of the book's most famous quotes: "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; the essential is invisible to the eye." The quest for rare book dealers is to find editions that get to the heart of an author's creative process, especially in influential works such as "The Little Prince," Sammy Jay, Senior Literature Specialist at Peter Harrington, said. "This is quite simply the most exceptional example of that, that I've ever seen, or had the opportunity to be involved with," he said. "It's a high point, and I feel almost a little poignant about it, because I don't quite see how I'm ever going to beat this," Jay, a book dealer and collector for 13 years, said. Besides the handwritten corrections, the typescript contains two original pencil sketches by the author including an early sketch for the book's final illustration of the little prince returning home. Accompanying the typescript is a cashed check for a French air force uniform that Saint-Exupery ordered before leaving New York to head back to the war. He never returned to New York. Saint-Exupery died in 1944 when his plane disappeared during a military reconnaissance mission over the Mediterranean. The book, acquired by Peter Harrington after it recently came out of private hands, will be on sale at Abu Dhabi Art from Nov. 20-24. - Report from Reuters For more ABS-CBN News, click the link below: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgyY1WylJUmgG2ln-vtKXb-oLlGEZc3sR Check out the latest news on upcoming Halalan 2022 here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgyY1WylJUmiGdpGgIvyNSlUsnCKyOzAM To watch the latest updates on COVID-19, click the link below: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgyY1WylJUmgUjPkc730KnTVICyQU6gBf Subscribe to the ABS-CBN News channel! - http://bit.ly/TheABSCBNNews Watch the full episodes of TV Patrol on iWantTFC: http://bit.ly/TVPatrol-iWantTFC Visit our website at http://news.abs-cbn.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abscbnNEWS Twitter: https://twitter.com/abscbnnews #ABSCBNHighlights #LatestNews #ABSCBNNews