Product Description

In 2000 Harcourt proudly reissued Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's masterpiece, The Little Prince, in a sparkling new format. Newly translated by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Richard Howard, this timeless classic was embraced by critics and readers across the country for its purity and beauty of expression. And Saint-Exupéry's beloved artwork was restored and remastered to present his work in its original and vibrant colors. Now Harcourt is issuing uniform full-color foreign language editions. The restored artwork glows like never before. These affordable and beautiful editions are sure to delight an entire new generation of readers, students, children, and adults for whom Saint-Exupéry's story will open the door to a new understanding of life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2047 in Books
• Published on: 2001-09-04
• Original language: French
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 96 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780156013987
• Condition: USED - VERY GOOD
• Notes:
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Language Notes
Text: French

About the Author
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944) was born in Lyons, France. A year after the publication of The Little Prince, Saint-Exupéry disappeared over the Mediterranean while flying a reconnaissance mission for his French air squadron. Best known throughout the world as the author and illustrator of The Little Prince, Saint-Exupéry wrote several other books that also have become classics of world literature.

Richard Howard is the author of eleven books of poetry, including Untitled Subjects, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1970, and most recently, Trappings. He is the translator of more than 150 works from the French and lives in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Magnifique
I was given this book to read for a high school French class, and I'm so glad I did. (If you're by some fluke reading this, Coop, thanks so much for introducing me to "Le petit prince"!) It may be classified here as "children's" literature, but it's so much more. This is a beautiful, moving story of the little prince and his journeys through planets and on Earth. It contains some incredibly deep philosophy and will make you appreciate the simplicity and innocence of childhood... and make you want to regain that outlook on life. I know that I'm trying to see the world as a child again.

...Et si vous pouvez lire ce livre en français, c'est beaucoup plus beau. Le livre en anglais n'est pas mal, mais il n'y a pas l'élégance.

A book of true beauty.
I do not read a lot of books. I have only read what was assigned to me throughout school and the occasional NY Times bestseller. A friend of mine gave me this book as a gift one day, she said I would enjoy it. She was right - I loved it. I didn't read it right away, but when I did I couldn't put it down. I am not an emotional person, or at least I never thought of myself as one, but this book made me look at myself and it broke my heart. I related with the character of the pilot and I felt as though the Little Prince was talking to me. The book helped me realize that I had forgotten a lot of things since childhood, like the meaning of friendship. The book also reminded me of what love really is. It made me realize what "grown-ups" really are, children who lost their innocence. The greatest thing about the book is that it is universal. It's message is simple: "love has no prejuducies, never dies and always forgives." It is a children's story but it is something all adults should read. There are few books that can do what this "children's story" can do. It will make you laugh, break your heart and make you think about what really is important in your life.

- Jeff

This version is abridged
I have the French copy of "Le Petit Prince" and have been using it to improve my vocabulary. I was disappointed to find out after receiving this audio tape that it is only 40 minutes long, and thus quite a bit of the text is cut out. Roughly the original text is 15,000 words and the transcription (included with the tape) is under 6,000 words. I understand that the use of different voices for different characters can replace some descriptive phrases, but entire dialogs are missing, and some are changed. For example, when the Prince first asks for the drawing of a sheep, the pilot draws a picture of an elephant inside a boa constrictor (which had baffled his parents when he was young) and the Prince immediately recognizes it. This was one of the funniest parts, but it is left out.

The voices are fine, sometimes a bit fast for a beginner, and the music is nice. If anyone knows of a full-length version where the French speaker is very clear and not too fast, I'd love to hear about it - dparsavand@yahoo.com.