The Priceless Typescript of The Little Prince: A Treasure at the Abu Dhabi Art Fair
Ah, the exquisite irony of it all! Here we stand, in a world besotted with the latest technology and trending TikTok dances, and yet, buried beneath a time-worn black cover, lies a treasure so enchanting that even the most cynical millennial would have to stop scrolling and take a moment. We’re talking about the typescript of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry! Yes, you heard it right. The typescript, which is so exclusive it’s practically *vintage*, is now on sale through a London specialist bookstore during the unabashedly posh Abu Dhabi Art Fair. And the price? A whopping $1.25 million, or as I like to put it, “that better be made of solid gold!”
An Object of Inestimable Value
So what makes this piece of paper—no, make that a *unique* specimen—so outrageously valuable? To start with, it’s the only edition that belonged to the author himself. Accompanied by a passport issued by France’s Ministry of Culture (because why not add a little international flair?), this marvelous artifact was snatched up earlier this year by Peter Harrington, a bookstore that specializes in rare finds. Apparently, they won’t reveal how much they paid for it, but let’s just say they probably had to empty their piggy banks—and then some!
But wait, there’s more! This typescript comes adorned with Saint-Exupéry’s own annotations. You know, the kind of scribbles that would make your old English teacher clutch her pearls. And inside lies the famous line, “One only sees well with the heart. The essential is invisible to the eyes.” This piece of literary gold is more than just a hunk of paper—it’s the insight into the very soul of the author. Talk about getting up close and personal!
A Sale That Attracts Global Attention
The sale of this typescript has caught the world’s eye like a kid spotting a puppy in a pet store. Why? “It’s a unique item,” says Sammy Jay of Peter Harrington, making it sound like something out of Harry Potter but with significantly higher stakes. Unlike the other two existing typescripts (which are hanging out in a cozy home at the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the University of Texas), this one was his working version. So, it’s like the behind-the-scenes cut—think deleted scenes of a movie, but better.
The typescript has passages not seen by the naked eye, a sort of literary Easter egg hunt that nobody asked for but everyone wants to get in on. Can’t help but feel this is the equivalent of scoring VIP access to an exclusive concert—size matters not, but authenticity sure does! And as if that wasn’t enough, Sammy Jay insists that this treasure will likely end up in either a museum or some ultra-private collection, possibly belonging to a collector in Asia or the Arab world. Fingers crossed it doesn’t end up in a garage sale, eh?
And for the cherry on top, it’s reported that The Little Prince is in high demand, outselling even *Harry Potter* and *The Hobbit* combined. Can you imagine?! At this point, I suspect that the true ‘little prince’ is the one who has an original first edition lying around, cheekily cackling as they watch the world go mad over this typescript.
So there you have it folks. An artifact so mystifying we can only imagine what it must feel like to hold the very beginnings of a story that has shaped the imaginations of millions. A rare glimpse into creativity; a reminder that even great minds have moments of uncertainty. If you happen to have 1.25 million dollars lying around—no big deal, right?—you just might want to snag this historical gem before it disappears like a fleeting dream.
Its black cover, damaged by time, contains a treasure: the typescript of Little Princeby Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the only one to have belonged to the writer, is on sale by a London specialist bookstore during the Abu Dhabi Art Fair.
An object of inestimable value
Accompanied by its passport, issued by the French Ministry of Culture, the precious object will be sold during the Abu Dhabi Art Fair which opens on November 20. Its price? 1.25 million dollars or 1.14 million euros. It was acquired “earlier this year” by the bookstore specializing in rare books, Peter Harrington, for an undisclosed sum.
“It’s a unique item,” says Sammy Jay of Peter Harrington Bookstore. Unique because of the three initial typescripts, this is the only one that the writer had preserved. “Unlike the other two versions, which he had entrusted to two different people, this one was his working version, in which he made corrections to the initial text,” he explains.
A sale that attracts global attention
In addition to the corrections made by the hand of Saint-Exupéry, this typescript includes passages not retained, and therefore never published. The other two typescripts are respectively in the collections of the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BNF) and the University of Texas. The autograph manuscript is in New York. Such an object is extremely rare on the old book market, underlines the bookseller.
“What is interesting with this typescript,” he observes, “is that it allows us to glimpse the creative process” of the author. “He really struggled to come up with the phrase ‘We only see with the heart,’” he continues. The Little Prince is one of the best-selling books in the world, more “than volume 1 of Harry Potter and The Hobbit combined”, assures Sammy Jay. At the end of this sale, it is possible that the typescript will join museum or private Asian or Arab collections. “We already feel a lot of interest in the world,” he assures.
