“FOR DEAR NANCY, WHO WAS ALL PATIENCE AND SYMPATHY”: FIRST AMERICAN EDITION OF SAINT-EXUPÉRY’S WIND, SAND AND STARS, TRANSLATOR LEWIS GALANTIÈRE’S ADVANCE COPY, WARMLY INSCRIBED TO HIS WIFE, WITH TYPED LETTER SIGNED BY PUBLISHER CURTICE HITCHCOCK

SAINT-EXUPERY, Antoine de. Wind, Sand and Stars. New York: Reynal & Hitchcock, (1939). Octavo, original half black cloth, pictorial endpapers, original dust jacket.

First American trade edition of Saint-Exupery’s philosophical memoir of flight, advance copy warmly inscribed in the month of publication by translator Lewis Galantière to his wife, “For dear Nancy, who was all patience and sympathy while this job was being done. Lewis – May 1939.” Additionally inscribed on the dedication page, “Terre de Hommes déd. to H. Guillaumet” (referring to the dedication of the first, French edition). With typed letter signed by the publisher, Curtice Hitchcock, to Galantière regarding the title’s selection by the Book of the Month Club.

"Everything went into Wind, Sand and Stars: the Saharan flights and crashes; the South American flights and near-crashes; the Libyan adventure; Guillaumet in the Andes; the enchanted evenings… Combined—with a dash of mysticism and a generous sprinkling of hymns to fraternity—those writings make for some of the most glorious descriptions of flight ever published…. 'To read it is to forget we are earthbound,' raved the Atlantic reviewer" (Schiff, 306-8). The book was first published in France in March 1939 as Terre des hommes, although the manuscript Saint-Exupéry initially turned over to Galantière was titled Du vent, du sable, des étoiles, as the translator told The Atlantic Monthly in 1947. Saint-Exupéry's work differs substantially in its French and English-language versions, due largely to the influence of translator Lewis Galantière. He "made a number of editorial suggestions, chief among them that Saint-Exupéry concoct better transitions between various sections… that he write an expanded chapter on the machine, that he give some thought to unifying his remarks on aviation and its place in the modern world, that he add new material… More action, less philosophy, counseled Galantière, who had from the start a clear vision of the book. As their translator could communicate with their author better than either of Saint-Exupéry's publishers Reynal and Hitchcock deferred to him editorially" (Schiff, 300-01). Both versions met with popular and critical praise: Terre des hommes received the Academie Francaise's prize for best novel of the year, while the American Booksellers Association voted Wind, Sand and Stars the best non-fiction work of 1939. Galantière also translated Saint-Exupéry's Flight to Arras (1942). Preceded in the U.S. by a signed limited edition of 500 copies. The typed letter signed by publisher Curtice Hitchcock to Galantière, dated May 11, 1939 and on Reynal and Hitchcock stationery, reads, in full: "Dear Lewis: Here is an advance copy of your book. I hope the format finally does at least partial justice to both author and translator. Publication date is June 20. The Book-of-the-Month Club is using it for their July selection along with a light novel. We finally couldn't persuade them to make it a single selection, but at least St. Ex is the important part of the choice. Yours ever, Curtice Hitchcock." (The other BOMC selection for July 1939 was The Brandons by Angela Thirkell). Saint-Exupéry dedicated Terre des Hommes to pioneering French aviator Henri Guillaumet of Aéropostale, as the annotation on this copy's dedication page indicates. Guillaumet is featured in a vintage New York Times newspaper clipping laid in regarding a flight of the Latécoère 521, which he piloted, to New York in May 1939.

Minor offsetting to recto of front free endpaper and first leaf, not affecting inscription. Small split to foot of front inner paper hinge. Light rubbing to spine ends, slight fading to extreme edges of boards. Bright dust jacket lightly rubbed with shallow chipping to spine head. A desirable, near-fine copy with exceptional provenance.