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Why was The Little Prince first published in the United States rather than France?

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French postage stamp featuring an illustration of the Little Prince in a blue and red coat, with text reading Le Petit Prince and Republique Francaise, and a value of 3,00. — The Little Prince *Le Petit Prince* (*The Little Prince*) pictured on a French stamp, circa 1998.

The Little Prince was first published in the United States in 1943 because its author, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, was living in New York City at the time. He had fled to the United States following the fall of France during World War II and remained there until 1943. Consequently, the book did not appear in France until 1946.12