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History & Heritage

8.24.2021

Lebanese author Gibran Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet sold for $30,000!

30,000 dollars! No, that’s not the price of going around the world, or investing in real estate, but simply the selling price of the copy of the famous book The Prophet, by Lebanese author Gibran Khalil Gibran, annotated by Elvis Presley! No doubt about it, we are dealing with a real fan. 

Peter Harrington, a London-based rare book dealer, has put up this famous copy for sale as part of his summer catalogue. A book so exceptional that it was immediately sold at the asking price.

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Sold for 30,000 dollars! 

The reasons for its success? First of all, it is important to know that The Prophet has sold more than a million copies worldwide and is still one of the most translated books in history, since it can be found in more than 100 different languages! 

But its success is also due to the fact that this was one of the first times that the annotated work could be bought in the United Kingdom. Indeed, the artist had never put it up for sale before, as Elvis Presley had given the signed book to his friend Ed Parker, founder of American Kenpo Karate, in 1960. 

The first page of this particular copy reads: “A singer can sing their songs but they must have an ear to receive the song. You have within you all the possibilities to unlock all the answers that torment your inner heart […] God will give you knowledge if only you seek it”

A bit of history 

Published in 1923, The Prophet has been regarded for decades as a spiritual and timeless literary masterpiece by the Lebanese poet and painter Gibran Khalil Gibran. 

It tells the story of Al Mustapha, a prophet, and his many conversations with different people about the subtleties of life. Each chapter is then divided by theme, including love, marriage, religion, freedom, pain, and self-realization. Al-Mustapha, which means ‘the chosen one’ in Arabic, is also one of the names of the prophet of Islam, Muhammad.

Elvis Presley, the most famous rocker in music history, was an avid reader. Now, can you guess his favourite book? It is said that Presley loved Gibran Khalil Gibran’s book so much that he learned it by heart! 

So who is the lucky owner of this work of art? The story doesn’t tell us more…

See also

Middle East : Must-have books to pack for the holidays

Published on 24 August 2021

#Liban

#Literature