Book Bearings
Cover of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The Little Prince

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

  • 96 pages · about 2 hours
  • First published 1943
  • 689 editions
Buy on Bookshop.orgView on Open Library

Bookshop.org links may earn us a commission. It supports independent bookstores and costs you nothing.

1 About this book

The Little Prince (French: Le Petit Prince) is a novella written and illustrated by French writer and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It was first published in English and French in the United States by Reynal & Hitchcock in April 1943 and was published posthumously in France following liberation; Saint-Exupéry's works had been banned by the Vichy Regime. The story follows a young prince who visits various planets, including Earth, and addresses themes of loneliness, friendship, love, and loss. Despite its style as a children's book, The Little Prince makes observations about life, adults, and human nature.

The Little Prince became Saint-Exupéry's most successful work, selling an estimated 140 million copies worldwide, which makes it one of the best-selling in history.

By November 2024, the book had been translated into 600 different languages and dialects worldwide. It became the second most translated work ever published, trailing only the Bible.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

  • Adventure
  • Fantasy
  • Friendship
  • Love
  • Childhood
  • Loss (Psychology)
  • Loneliness
  • Princes

2 What to expect

A pilot stranded in the Sahara meets a boy from a tiny planet. Short, illustrated, gentle and a little sad: a fable about love and growing up that reads differently at every age.

Good for readers who want: a classic fable, a story for any age, and a short read.

3 About Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

1900–1944

Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, vicomte de Saint-Exupéry (29 June 1900 – c. 31 July 1944), known simply as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (UK: , US: ), was a French writer, poet, journalist and aviator. He is best known as the author of The Little Prince. Born in Lyon to an aristocratic family, Saint-Exupéry learned to fly during his military service in 1921.

Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

4 More by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

5 Similar books

Find a book that fits your moment