In 1943, a well-known novella titled The Little Prince was published by Reynal & Hitchcock and was originally written in French by the late Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It was first translated from French to English by Katherine Woods. Woods' original English translation would be in print for another 50 years before Richard Howard provided his modern translation in May 2000. Howard's version was a success, which resulted in Woods' translation going out of print merely within a year.

The purpose of this petition is to have whoever owns the rights to Woods' translation, which I assume is Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (the publisher that owns the English rights of The Little Prince in the United States), reprint Woods' iconic words in its complete form.

While Howard's translation is much appreciated, as today's readers (especially children) would much need a more modern and simplified version, Woods' translation had also been fitting enough for generations of readers before. Although her translation contained some errors, Woods' words had been praised for their poetic nature. It had proven well to be able to creatively express The Little Prince's beautiful journey, and overall successfully bringing a truer version of Exupery's masterpiece.

A few articles that go into details about the differences between Woods' and Howard's translation:

• A BATTLE RAGES OVER 'THE LITTLE PRINCE' TRANSLATION - by Matt Kim
• 4 Passages in the “Little Prince” Show Why Translation is an Art - by Richard Brooks

For more information about The Little Prince's publication history, details on the first edition, or you just want to know about Antoine de Saint-Exupéry:

• History of The Little Prince