International Autograph Auctions Ltd.
Lot 314
SAINT-EXUPERY ANTOINE DE: (1900-1944) French Writer, Poet and pioneering Aviator. French aristocrat who became a laureate of several France's highest literary awards and is best remembered for his novella The Little Prince ('Le Petit Prince', 1943) and for his lyrical aviation writings, including Night Flight (1931) and Wind, Sand and Stars (1939). An interesting series of original pencil diagrams in the hand of Saint-Exupéry, with several explanatory annotations in his hand, in French, also in pencil, unsigned, one page, oblong 4to, n.p., n.d. To the centre of the plain sheet of paper Saint-Exupéry has neatly drawn a diagram, featuring various measurements and arrows, which relate to his investigations into optic works, making the observations 'Layout of the superimposed images', 'The image still on the focal layout because they hide the view of each other on the layout' and 'The lens can evidently be replaced by all associations of surfaces will give, as a result, the same angles. The same as it would happen through a funnel'. Beneath the final statement, Saint-Exupéry has drawn three further, smaller diagrams, one circular and the others with various angles. To the verso appear seven small boxes drawn by Saint-Exupéry, each of them with shaded areas. A few small, minor file holes to the lower edge, not affecting the diagrams or text, VG £1000-1500 Saint-Exupéry disappeared over the Mediterranean on a reconnaissance mission in July 1944, and is believed to have died at that time. Prior to the war, Saint-Exupéry had achieved fame in France as an aviator. His literary works - among them The Little Prince, translated into over 250 languages and dialects - posthumously boosted his stature to national hero status in France.
