The Prince and the Pauper - (Mark Twain Library) by Mark Twain

About the Book

Mark Twain's classic novel about a poor boy who exchanges identities with Edward Tudor, the prince of England, brings to life the 16th-century royal court, the crowded, boisterous streets inhabited by London's hoi polloi, and the behavior of two young boys who are in many ways smarter than their elders. Included is the story "A Boy's Adventure", written as part of the novel but published separately.

Book Synopsis

"What am I writing? A historical tale of 300 years ago, simply for the love of it." Mark Twain's tale, in which a sixteenth-century English prince and the pauper boy that looks just like him are forced to changed places, has become a classic of American literature. Published in 1881, Mark Twain called the book "a tale for young people of all ages," and his thirteen-year-old daughter, Susy Clemens, called it "unquestionably the best book he has ever written." Foreword and notes by Victor Fischer and Michael B. Frank, text established by Victor Fischer. Original illustrations by Frank T. Merrill, John Harley, and L.S. Ipsen.

From the Back Cover

"Each additional volume reaffirms our faith and celebration in this splendid series."--Nineteenth-Century Fiction

Review Quotes

"One of the great scholarly enterprises of the century. . . . If you want to enjoy, and to understand fully, the genius of Mark Twain, the California editions are the only texts to have." "London Telegraph [Michael Shelden]