Collecting "Le petit Prince" - A big thank you to all the special, incredible people that are playing the game with me, year after year

"Now I always have a look around, when I am in some new place. Somehow, he has become my new habit", he says.

And I just melt.

This very good friend of mine is talking about looking for new, exotic editions of "The Little Prince" for my collection while traveling and/on being abroad for some time for whatever reason, and knowing that he remembers me and my special game makes me feel seen, loved and appreciated.

Collecting the book has been a serendipitous idea, something that I would not have expected and yet kept me company all these years, almost fifteen years by now.

And now, after so many years, my collection looks like this:

[My collection of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

as it is in June 2020: over 100 books 

in around 70 languages and dialects]

According to the most recent data, the book has been translated into more than 350 languages and dialects worldwide.

Coaching, reloaded - Coaching question of the day #43. - The book of your life

Lately, someone asked about a book that changed my life. Even if there are many titles that had a big impact on me and at least 4-5 books that I keep re-reading on a regular basis, that was an easy one:

"The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry has been my favorite book for over 30 years because it can be read by children, by young adults, and by adults. Each person will find something different in the book, depending on where they are and where they are going.

[My book for life is "The Little Prince".

How about you?]

It is the perfect book to be read every two to three years in order to see how one has changed, and in which direction the person is going. It is also the perfect gift for good friends, acquaintances, and for someone willing to learn a new language.

Coaching question of the day: 

"What book did help you change your life?"

Tags: Coaching question, Self-coaching, Self-awareness, The Little Prince, Books for life

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Collecting "Le petit Prince" - Why collecting the book is like a big, wonderful game

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Why happiness is... the most important muscle in everybody's body and how to train it

Being happy is a choice, they say. And it is true, even if not easy, at least not always. But it is simple.

Maybe the problem is just that most people tend to confuse one with the other or to think that they are synonymous. 

Well, they are not: something can be easy to get and yet not simple at all, and something can be simple but not easy at all to get. And so on.

Happiness doesn't depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude.

Dale Breckenridge Carnegie [1888-1955]

So happiness is actually very simple because it is basically all about doing what one wants to do, being what one wants to be, having what one wants to have. Even better said, happiness is wanting to do what one does, wanting to be what one is, wanting to have what one has.

Like all magnificent things, it's very simple.

Natalie Babbitt

You can choose to be happy, while accepting what you do, who you are and what you have, or while finding out what you want to change in your life instead and then working hard to get there, no matter what.

The clear correlation between Brad Pitt's six-pack and unforgettable kisses

It doesn't matter how badly you would love to be kissed by someone. Most of the times, to merely want to be kissed by that someone is just not enough to get what you want. Most of the times you will have to do something or be something for getting there.

[A not at all easily obtained kiss: the famous love scene 

between Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) 

and Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) 

in Spider-Man (2002) by Sam Raimi]

Easily obtained kisses aren't worth it, an old proverb says.

Collecting "Le petit Prince" - The books, dialects, and languages that are not part of my collection yet (I-Z)

This week I have already published the first part of the list of books/languages that are not part of my collection (yet), including the missing languages from A to H.

As I promised, here we are with the second part of the list (missing languages I-Z)!

The second part of the list is huge: around 85 missing languages! (They were actually more than 90 only some months ago...)

This means that if you want to buy a present for me, it's very easy to make me happy, don't you think? (I am kidding, of course... Well, sort of kind of)

I am a hopeless optimist and I am sure that my collection will grow and grow over the years.
Have a nice weekend!

[Dating A Flower Feels Very One-Sided
is the "new" title for "The Little Prince", 
according to the "Better Book Titles" project]

Let's go and see what still needs some attention...

Collecting "Le petit Prince" - The books, dialects, and languages that are not part of my collection yet (A-H)

As you may know, some weeks ago I have published the list of books that are already part of my collection of "Le petit Prince": they were 44 languages in it then (now they are more than 70!). 

In the same post, I have promised to publish the list of books/languages that are not part of my collection (yet).

Since the list is - unfortunately - very big, I have decided to split it into two parts. Today, I'm publishing the first part of the list (missing languages A-H).

On Saturday I will publish the second part of the list (missing languages I-Z), at last!

Stay tuned!

[The Little Prince Grand Tour Doll, 2000

Thanks for the picture of this treasure, Rossana!]

Which kind of present I would dearly enjoy?

Collecting "Le petit Prince" - The books, dialects, and languages that are already part of my collection

If someone should ask you about "your" list, which kind of list it would be?
Places you have been to? Crazy adventures that are on your bucket list? Your favorite restaurants? The playlist that you could listen to for days and days in a row?

As I promised last week, here I am with "my" list.

Today I am sharing with you the list of books/languages that are already part of my collection of different editions of "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

[It's time to set out for an amazing journey...

While exploring the many languages and dialects 

available for "The Little Prince"]

Since the book has been published in over 200 languages and dialects and I've got 70+ different versions so far, there is still a lot of work to do!

In the coming weeks, I will publish the list of books/languages that are not part of my collection (yet).

Without any further ado, ladies and gents...

Collecting "Le petit Prince" - Why collecting the book is like a big, wonderful game

As already said in this post, I collect different editions, languages, and versions of "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry since 2006. Even if it is my favorite book since I was 15 years old, it all has begun fortuitously, as a mere serendipitous accident, but over the years collecting the book has become really important to me.

The book, voted in 1999 among the first five most important books of the 20th century by "Le Monde", has been published in over 250 languages and dialects and it is also available as an audiobook, graphic novel, and in Braille.

[My collection of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: 

over 80 books in more than 30 languages]

It would be easy to check eBay etc. in order to find all the languages at once and to buy them in two or three "shopping rushes".
It is of course way more exciting to look for the book in shops and flea markets, to check in new places if I am on holiday somewhere, to ask friends and colleagues to bring back a copy of the book for me if they are planning to visit an exotic location, to find an old copy thanks to serendipity or to get a used one from someone I met.

Remembering Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and the mysterious circumstances of his death

Which one is your favorite book?

How often did you and do you get inspired by it?

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and the Little Prince
Statue by Christiane Guillaumet, Place Bellecour in Lyon]

As you may know, The Petit Prince is my favorite book. After celebrating Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's birth, today we're talking about this death.

On July 31st, 1944, the French writer and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, while being on duty during WWII, left the military base in Naples to carry out a mission in solo flight. He's disappeared with his own plane and his last message was a radio silence.
So the mystery of his vanishing began, while letting generations of fans puzzled about his fate and his death. It was only after almost sixty years, in 2003, that the remains of the aircraft were located and found beyond any doubt and the mystery of his vanishing was partially solved.

Tags: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Le petit Prince, The Little Prince, Literature, Death anniversary

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Collecting "Le petit Prince" - Why collecting the book is like a big, wonderful game

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A wonderful Google Doodle celebrates Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's 110th bith anniversary

I have been collecting "Le petit Prince" (The Little Prince) by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in every language since 2006. But this is another story.

Today's story is about the wonderful Google Doodle that celebrates Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's 110th birth anniversary [June 29th, 1900]. It's absolutely beautiful and poetic like the book: my favorite Google Doodle ever.

[Google Doodle for June 29th, 2010
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's 110th Birth Anniversary]

I've seen this Doodle on the Italian and German version of Google but not on the English one. Maybe just not yet?

ps. Thanks again, Fra!

Update: For mysterious reasons, the English version of Google didn't display the Doodle at all...

Tags: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Le petit Prince, The Little Prince, Google Doodle, Birth Anniversary

What to read next:

Collecting "Le petit Prince" - Why collecting the book is like a big, wonderful game

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