7 h 58 minAudiobook11 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 196 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 196 pagesAbout this book
What if a change of clothes could give a beggar a palace—and leave a prince hungry in the street?
In Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper, Tom Canty dreams of kings while enduring poverty in London’s Offal Court. Edward, Prince of Wales, knows a sheltered royal life. When the boys meet at the palace gate, their identical faces inspire a playful exchange of clothes that neither can easily undo.
Tom finds himself surrounded by royal ceremony, afraid of punishment when the mistake comes to light. Edward faces hunger and cruelty among people who dismiss his claim to the throne. As brave soldier Miles Hendon offers protection, Twain brings the boys’ adventures together through sharp humor, compassion, and questions about rank and justice.
What you’ll discover
- Two lives turned upside down Follow boys whose matching faces open doors that their birth would keep firmly shut.
- A palace full of pressure Share Tom’s fear as royal splendor brings duties he never expects to face.
- The streets beyond privilege Walk beside Edward as hunger and harsh treatment challenge everything his sheltered life teaches him.
- Kindness amid cruel laws Meet Miles Hendon, whose protection gives the disbelieved boy a brave friend.
- Humor with a moral heart Enjoy Twain’s sharp eye for the gap between fine titles and genuine worth.
Who will love it
For readers who love adventure with a moral heart, parents looking for a story to share with children, and anyone curious about Tudor England as Twain imagined it.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Tom Canty dreams of princes
- A prince and a pauper meet
- Edward is cast out as a beggar
- Tom learns to be a king
- Edward meets Miles Hendon
- The road shows the cruelty of the law
- Tom grows into a gentle ruler
- What the story says about rank and justice
- How Twain tells the tale
Who’s who
- Tom CantyA poor boy from Offal Court who loves books about kings and finds himself living as a prince in the palace.
- Edward, Prince of WalesThe king's son, proud and sheltered, who is forced to live among beggars and learns how the law treats the poor.
- Miles HendonA brave soldier returning home to Hendon Hall who protects the strange boy and plays along with his royal claims.
- John CantyTom's violent, thieving father, who beats his son and forces him to beg for money.
- Lord HertfordThe prince's uncle at court, who protects the boy he believes is the unwell prince and keeps his strange state secret.
- Henry the EighthThe aging king of England, who is gravely ill and hopes to see his heir prepared to rule.
- HugoA sly young thief in a roving gang who treats the ragged boy cruelly.
Formats and delivery
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- Large-print eBook
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- Audiobook
- 7 h 58 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 11 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in, 196 pages: USD 8.95 when you start free, USD 15.95 on its own.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in, 196 pages: USD 16.95 when you start free, USD 22.95 on its own.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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The Prince and the Pauper
by Mark Twain · 1881
A prince and a beggar swap clothes in London, leaving one to learn royal power and the other to face cruel laws.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
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In short
The Prince and the Pauper is a novel by Mark Twain, first published in 1881. It is set in London in the middle of the sixteenth century, in the last weeks of the reign of Henry the Eighth.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Tom Canty dreams of princes
The story opens with Tom Canty, born into a poor family in Offal Court, a crowded and dirty lane near London Bridge. His father, John Canty, is a thief and a drunk who beats him and sends him out to beg. His grandmother is no kinder. Only his mother and his two sisters, Nan and Bet, show him any tenderness.
Tom has one escape, and it is books. A kindly old priest, Father Andrew, has taught him to read a little and has filled his head with tales of giants, fairies, dwarfs and kings. Tom reads whatever he can find. Slowly he begins to dream of royal life, of fine clothes, rich food and the power to do good.
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What is The Prince and the Pauper about?
It tells of two look-alike boys in sixteenth-century London, Prince Edward and the beggar Tom Canty, who swap places. Each learns how the other half lives, and Twain uses their adventures to criticize cruel laws and rigid rank.
Is The Prince and the Pauper a true story?
No. It is fiction, published in 1881. Twain used a real setting, the last days of Henry the Eighth and the start of Edward the Sixth's reign, but the exchange of the two boys is invented.
Who is Miles Hendon in The Prince and the Pauper?
Miles Hendon is a kind soldier who returns to England after years away. He meets the lost prince, protects him and humors his royal claims, becoming his steadfast friend through many dangers.
The author
Mark Twain
1835–1910 · American humorist and novelist
Mark Twain was the pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, an American author born in Missouri in 1835. He lived in Hartford, Connecticut, from 1874 to 1891. He wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and The Prince and the Pauper (1881). He died in Redding, Connecticut, in 1910.
More by Mark Twain
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