The Prince and the Pauper

Written by Mark Twain

Part of the Signet Classics series

Two boys swap lives, revealing the thin line between royalty and poverty.

3.9 Goodreads · 127,249 ratings

240 pages· 66,817 words· Est. 6 hour read· 610L

$6.95Save 3%

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Bookroo's summary

In a twist of fate, Tom Canty, a pauper, and Edward Tudor, a prince, swap lives. As Tom navigates the royal court's opulence, Edward faces the harsh realities of London's slums. This identity swap challenges societal norms and exposes the absurdity of class distinctions. Will they reclaim their true selves, or remain trapped in their new worlds? Discover the humor and critique of social injustice in this timeless tale of mistaken identities.

From the publisher

Two boys exchange their clothes and their lives in Mark Twain’s classic satiric comedy. They are the same age. They look alike. In fact, there is but one difference between them: Tom Canty is a child of the London slums; Edward Tudor is heir to the throne of England. Just how insubstantial this difference really is becomes clear when a chance encounter leads to an exchange of roles…with the pauper caught up in the pomp and folly of the royal court, and the prince wandering, horror-stricken, through the lower depths of sixteenth-century English society. Out of the theme of switched identities, Mark Twain has fashioned both a scathing attack upon social hypocrisy and injustice and an irresistible comedy imbued with the sense of high-spirited play that belongs to his most creative period. With an Afterword by Everett Emerson

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