Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: antiquarian editions, Petit Prince and letters

First editions and trade copies

For titles published during his lifetime, the first edition is identified by the imprint date and, for the most sought-after, by the numbered issue on large paper. Trade copies of a first edition remain affordable; large-paper copies and those bearing an author’s inscription command prices out of all proportion. Reprints, often indicated by an edition statement on the cover, are mainly of interest for reading.

Gallimard also dressed these texts in publisher’s bindings, some designed by Paul Bonet, which are sought after in their own right.

Letters

The Letters to His Mother and early letters, published after the war, reveal another side of Saint-Exupéry. A copy marked “S.P.” is a review copy, sent to critics on publication.

The Little Prince

The New York editions of 1943 and the first French edition of 1946 are highly sought after and often confused with later impressions: check the imprint date and edition statement. The first-day covers and envelopes issued with the Little Prince stamps form a separate collecting field.

As of November 2026, our Saint-Exupéry holdings ranged from about €25 to €80.

Frequently asked questions

How do I identify a first edition of Saint-Exupéry?

Look for the imprint date, the absence of an edition statement on the cover and, for large paper, the limitation note. A specialist bibliography will confirm.

What does “S.P.” on a book mean?

Review copy: a copy sent by the publisher to journalists. It is often printed on ordinary paper and gains value especially when it bears an inscription.

Do you buy Saint-Exupéry books?

Yes. The bookseller will appraise them free of charge from photographs; photograph the binding, the imprint date and, if present, any inscription.

To go further

• First editions and inscribed copies.
• How to identify a first edition.
• Joseph Kessel, biographer of Mermoz, Saint-Exupéry’s Aéropostale comrade.
• The Literature and first editions section.
• Sell and have your antiquarian books appraised.