Meet Michael Pätel, one of most avid collectors of The Little Prince in the world.
It was in Germany, in Fränkisch-Crumbach, a small town in the Odenwald, that we met Dr. Michael Pätel, a friend of The Little Prince. Michael Pätel loves to travel, and six years ago, while he was on a trip – to Mexico, as it happens – he was given a copy of The Little Prince in Spanish. Happy re-discovery! On returning home, it occurred to him to look for the same story in other languages. He found a copy in Russian, another in Greek, and over the course of time (and not a few trips) he gradually started to build up what is now a rich collection. « Most collectors stop once they have a copy in every language, » he explains. Michael Pätel, however, is looking to collect a copy of each edition. As a result, he has 330 copies of The Little Prince in Spanish, for example.
Over 1,500 copies of The Little Prince from all over the world are now lined up like one big, happy family in his office, arranged by language and by country. Dr. Pätel now shares his collection with others via a website which he regularly updates with his latest acquisitions.
Michael Pätel talks about his passion for The Little Prince in an interview, which you can watch here: watch the interview (in French).