Books

New York: Éditions de la Maison Française, 1942. FIRST EDITION (preceeding the French edition). No. 431 OF 450 COPIES on Corsican paper (from a total edition of 526). 223 x 183 mm. (8 3/4 x 7 1/8"). 253, [1] (blank) pp. Original tan printed paper wrappers, ENTIRELY UNOPENED. With a small leaf marked "431" in red loosely inserted. ◆Wrapper with two negligible edge tears, but an exceptionally fine copy of a very fragile book, with everything clean and fresh inside and out. This is an unusually attractive, obviously unread copy of the true first edition (preceding the Paris printing by nine months) of Saint-Exupéry's account of his exploits when flying reconnaissance for the Armée de l'Air during the 1940 battle for France. Of his time as a pilot, Saint-Exupéry says that it was hazardous work: of the 23 crews in his unit, 17 were sacrificed in the early days of the battle, "like glasses of water thrown onto a forest fire." Such turns of phrase moved Robert McFarlane, in an…

Pilote de guerre (Flight to Arras) is a memoir by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, recounting his experiences as a reconnaissance pilot in the French Air Force during the Battle of France in 1940. It provides a vivid portrayal of the