Prince and the Pauper

Mark Twain’s historical satire about two identical boys, one a poor beggar of the London slums and the other the heir to the royal throne, who trade places to experience a life they never imagined, newly repackaged for the Union Square & Co. Signature Classics line.  Set in sixteenth-century England, The Prince and the Pauper is Mark Twain’s timeless tale of identical strangers, the penniless Tom Canty living in the London slums and the royal Prince Edward, who switch places and experience what the other’s life has to offer. Subtitled “A Tale for Young People of All Ages,” Twain blends action and comedy with a witty satire of social hierarchy that has resonated with readers for generations.

Mark Twain (1835–1910), born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, was a nineteenth-century American writer whose vast bibliography includes novels, essays, short stories, lectures, and travelogues. When he was four, his family moved to Hannibal, Missouri, which later inspired the setting of his novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Known for his wit and satire, Twain's collected works represent his critique of the fundamental issues impacting America during his lifetime, including religious hypocrisy, classism, and racism.