The Prince and the Pauper

HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. When I am king, they shall not have bread and shelter only, but also teachings out of books; for a full belly is little worth where the mind is starved, and the heart. Set in 16th-Century England and following the lives of two young boys, The Prince and the Pauper is a classic and timeless tale. Tom Canty, the lowly pauper is almost identical in appearance to Edward Tudor, a prince. Unbeknownst to those around them, the boys strike up an unlikely friendship and soon realise that with their similar looks they could easily pass for one another. When the Prince s father dies, some of the more underhand court officials persuade the pauper to act as the Prince in order to reap the benefits of the mistake and there follows a tale of friendship and growing up in one of Mark Twain s most infamous works.