The Prince and the Pauper

Description

Tom Canty and Edward Tudor could have been identical twins. Their birthdays match, their faces match, but there the likeness stops. For Edward is a prince, heir to King Henry VIII, whilst Tom is a miserable pauper. But when fate intervenes, Edward is thrown out of the palace in rags, leaving ignorant Tom to play the part of a royal prince. Even those who have never read the novel will be familiar with Twain's classic tale of mistaken identity- at once an adventure story and a fantasy of timeless appeal. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Mark Twain's (1835-1910) idyllic childhood in Missouri on the Mississippi river is reflected in his best known books, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. His great skills as a novelist, journalist and social observer assure him a central place in American literary history. Jerry Griswold is Professor of English & Comparative Literature at San Diego State University and is the author of The Classic American Children's Story.

"Twain was . . . enough of a genius to build his morality into his books, with humor and wit and-in the case of The Prince and the Pauper-wonderful plotting." -E. L. Doctorow