Montblanc Le Petit Prince

[AndyLogan]

I was thinking around late May or early June. The UNICEF collection was released at the start of April last year and May/June was when it came to Adelaide.

 

That would be great, *fingers crossed*.

[Madeline]

The book is very short, maybe an hour of reading. I did not read it in one go, more just as i found spare time and i am a slow reader.

 

The design makes sense after reading the book.

 

Here are a few quotes that I think influenced the design (my opinion onlyu, no great literarly or design insights nevessarily):

 

“All men have stars, but they are not the same things for different people. For some, who are travelers, the stars are guides. For others they are no more than little lights in the sky. For others, who are scholars, they are problems... But all these stars are silent. You-You alone will have stars as no one else has them... In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars will be laughing when you look at the sky at night..You, only you, will have stars that can laugh! And when your sorrow is comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be content that you have known me... You will always be my friend. You will want to laugh with me. And you will sometimes open your window, so, for that pleasure... It will be as if, in place of the stars, I had given you a great number of little bells that knew how to laugh”

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

 

“I am looking for friends. What does that mean -- tame?"

 

"It is an act too often neglected," said the fox. "It means to establish ties."

 

"To establish ties?"

 

"Just that," said the fox. "To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world....”

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

 

“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

 

Whenever I met one of them [the grown-ups] who seemed to me at all clear-sighted, I tried the experiment of showing him my Drawing Number One, which I have always kept. I would try to find out, so, if this was a person of true understanding. But, whoever it was, he, or she, would always say:

“That is a hat.”

Then I would never talk to that person about boa constrictors, or primeval forests, or stars.

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

 

For that penultimate quote, I have also seen it translated as "It is only with the heart that one can see clearly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." Saint Ex. was an extraordinary person. Poet, writer, mystic, aviator, artist--he seemed to have retained the unique vision and perspective of the child, while filling it in with the wisdom of a sage. Don't delay if you haven't read this book (and his other books--as someone mentioned earlier--"Wind, Sand, and Stars" is marvelous too). But this one has always been my favorite--and those drawings!--hard to say which is more magical--the words or the pictures. If you are lucky enough to read French, don't miss the chance to read Le Petit Prince in its original language (I'm still practicing...)

 

I wonder what Saint Ex. would think of this pen... (And how does it function at 12,000 feet without any pressure adjustments?)

[orangesam]

thanks, I have the book but have not read it yet, I will now :-)

 

 

I bought the book at the weekend...and picked up my resin FP, ink and notebook yesterday.

[Ghost Plane]

Wonder who owns the rights to the book? Big boost to sales on an old copyright close to expiring...

[Cyrille81]

Wonder who owns the rights to the book? Big boost to sales on an old copyright close to expiring...

It seems a complicated subject. It seems the book is free of copyright everywhere in the world except in France but the people from the book are not free of copyright and each of them has patent: https://www.communia-association.org/2015/01/23/the-little-prince-almost-in-the-public-domain/

[Ghost Plane]

It seems a complicated subject. It seems the book is free of copyright everywhere in the world except in France but the people from the book are not free of copyright and each of them has patent: https://www.communia-association.org/2015/01/23/the-little-prince-almost-in-the-public-domain/

Thanks for looking that up. I’m all about “Follow the money” when I get curious why an obscure, nearly forgotten in some countries, completely unknown in others title suddenly gets such a HUGE push.

 

There’s the official MB line and then there’s me wondering, knowing the boost this level of global publicity brings to book sales.

[Kalessin]

Hm. I'm not sure I'd characterize The Little Prince / Le Petit Prince as obscure and nearly forgotten...

[katkam]

Hm. I'm not sure I'd characterize The Little Prince / Le Petit Prince as obscure and nearly forgotten...

Couldnt agree more. Definitely not in Europe.

[Ghost Plane]

Couldnt agree more. Definitely not in Europe.

There’s the rub. I’m in one of the top 3 school districts in the country and not one child on this street had a clue what I was talking about. Parents under thirty either heard of it, but hadn’t read it, or said they’d never heard of it.

 

There seems to be a generational gap here where the schools began pushing a different culture than the Euro-Centric I grew up with. I don’t recognize any of the titles the kids are assigned now.

[mana]

Couldnt agree more. Definitely not in Europe.

Indeed. Part and parcel of the basic curriculum even for us up on the northern edge of Europe (Finland). It is very popular and loved here (alongside of our national saga, aka. the Moomins).

[cattar]

The book had a big splash in 2014, the 70th anniversary of first publication and right before it went out of copyright in most of the world.

Back in 2014, bookstores on the U.S. West Coast prominently displayed the book, especially the pop-up version.

But I would agree most Americans I know don't know the book.

[adim]

Appelboom has a nice video showing the full collection:

 

[AndyLogan]

Appelboom has a nice video showing the full collection:

 

 

 

Thanks for this!!!!

[adim]

 

 

Thanks for this!!!!

 

You're all welcome. I can't wait to go see and try the resin LeGrand in person. Hopefully next week and if I'm lucky enough (or maybe it is lucky enough), I'll take it home.

 

Hearing the full text of the engraving on the cap band really touched me:

 

Créer des liens... Tu seras pour moi unique au monde.

[Royvdbb]

Hi All,

 

We got our hands on the Solitaire LeGrand FP yesterday and it's a beauty! The detailing is fantastic and the deep shimmering blue has to be seen to be fully appreciated. Here's a few pics...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy! Roy

 

[Appelboompen]

Appelboom has a nice video showing the full collection:

 

 

Thank you for the support!

[bubba818]

Don't forget the animated movie "The Little Prince". It is an adaptation and an expansion to the book. I think it is worth watching and if you have netflix you can stream it now.

[blottingpaperforlife]

Izods, I like your color description, shimmering blue, of this beautiful pen. I havent yet seen the pen in person but am certain the deatails would be more meaningful when held. It seems there is more to this pen than I initially realized.

[MontblancGeek]

Quick iPad picture of the ink (artificial lighting):

 

EE7C72EE-807E-4D06-81DE-E702C5635120.jpeg

 

Compared the the new Swan Illusion ink, Petit Prince ballpoint and Encre Desert ballpoint.

 

2591B815-2A77-4AA5-B401-C3217150FBAE.jpeg

 

Petit Prince (second from top) is less red compared to Velvet red (top) but brighter and more orange-red tones compared to da Vinci Red Chalk (third from the top).

 

The ballpoint inks are generally less intense and bright but a welcome variation compared to regular blue ir black and therefore much appriciated!

 

Cheers

 

Michael

Michael, kinda off topic for the post but you seem to know your shades. How would Velvet Red compare to Corn Poppy and/or Burgundy Red? Thanks in advance! And sorry for the highjack.

[amcityink]

Michael, kinda off topic for the post but you seem to know your shades. How would Velvet Red compare to Corn Poppy and/or Burgundy Red? Thanks in advance! And sorry for the highjack.

 

On my paper, Velvet Red, is a darker red, bloodish or Hitchcock Red... Corn Poppy is a brighter, truer red.

 

Burgundy red is true to it's name and very Burgundy.

 

There are plenty of great reviews on all these inks in the ink review section.