Saint-Exupéry, Antoine de. The Little Prince (Malenkiy prints). A Tale / illustrated by the author ; translated by Nora Gal, 1960. First edition in Russian.

Сент-Экзюпери, Антуан де. Маленький принц : сказка / перевод с французского Норы Галь ; рисунки автора. Первое издание на русском языке.
Москва : Издательство «Правда», 1960. 48 с. : ил. (Библиотека «Огонек» ; № 11).
Мягкая издательская обложка. 16,5x12,5 см.
На внутренней стороне задней обложки владельческая дарственная надпись на грузинском языке.
Состояние хорошее: обложка с потертостями по краям и корешку, небольшие надрывы на корешке; блок крепкий, страницы чистые, с минимальным возрастным пожелтением.
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Saint-Exupéry, Antoine de. The Little Prince / translated from the French by Nora Gal ; with illustrations by the author. First Russian edition.
Moscow : "Pravda" Publishing House, 1960. 48 pp. : ill. (Library "Ogonek" ; No. 11).
Original publisher's softcover. 16.5x12.5 cm.
Inside back wrapper bearing a previous owner's presentation inscription in Georgian cursive.
Condition good: wrappers show edge wear and minor rubbing with tiny tears along the spine; text block firm, pages clean with minimal age-toning.

A highly significant bibliographical milestone: the true first Russian-language edition of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's universally beloved philosophical tale, "The Little Prince". While Saint-Exupéry originally published the work in 1943, Soviet readers were introduced to the text only during the Khrushchev Thaw. The text was masterfully translated by Nora Gal (Eleonora Galperina), whose rendition became the absolute canonical standard for all subsequent Russian editions, profoundly influencing Soviet literary culture. This inaugural publication appeared as a modest booklet in the popular mass-market "Biblioteka Ogonek" series by the Pravda publishing house. Because it was issued in a fragile paperback format intended for broad, immediate consumption rather than archival preservation, surviving copies of this 1960 first printing in strong, complete condition have become exceedingly scarce on the market. The edition retains Saint-Exupéry's iconic original illustrations integrated directly into the text. This volume stands as a cornerstone piece for any serious collection of twentieth-century translated literature, representing the momentous arrival of a global humanist masterpiece behind the Iron Curtain and serving as a highly coveted item for institutional and private collectors of foundational Soviet-era translations.