Buying The Prince and the Pauper (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))

It's a book everyone knows but hardly anyone seems to read, notes Jerry Griswold in his introduction to the Penguin edition of this book. Even well-read people who recognize the importance of Mark Twain often regard "The Prince And The Pauper" as kiddy lit. Well, it is written for children, yet in a clever and immersive way adults can enjoy, too.

Tom Canty is a 16th century London street urchin who dreams of becoming a king. Edward Tudor, Prince of Wales, dreams of escaping his royal confinement. One day Tom stumbles into Westminister and meets Edward. Both are struck by the fact they are practically mirror images of one another. Edward changes clothes with Tom for a lark, then goes outside to upbraid a guard for cuffing Tom. Big mistake. Now Edward is the street urchin, foolishly protesting his kingship, while Tom adjusts to the royal life.

Twain wrote this in 1881, between "The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer" and "The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn." It's darker than the first but lighter than the second, evidence for the theory Twain charted a steady course in his life from cheerful cynic to bitter nihilist. The overall tone of "Prince" is fairly light, with a style that sends up Sir Walter Scott's roundabout locutions. But dark moments occur with bracing frequency, especially as the story rounds on Edward in peasant's garb. He watches executions by fire, witnesses casual crimes, and hears of the depravity people endure under his father's reign.

"The world is made wrong," young Tudor observes. "Kings should go to school to their own laws, at times, and so learn mercy."

There's comedy, too, much of it in what Tom Canty undergoes. In one episode, he discovers it takes a small army to get him dressed in the morning. He also meets another youth whose job is to absorb the corporeal punishment when the young Prince fails his education, a youth who fears he could become unemployed by Tom's instinct for mercy. "My back is my bread" he cries.

The novel is a fun ride and a trip for the imagination, but somewhat indifferent as an adventure story. The main business Edward faces is escaping Tom's cruel father, who turns up rather illogically in several places before disappearing without a word. A subplot involves a down-on-his-luck soldier Edward meets in his wanderings, Miles Hendon; yet the relationship between him and Edward is never explored satisfactorily enough to explain Hendon's selfless loyalty to the boy. Canty's part of the tale falls by the wayside for the book's second half, and never resumes until nearly the end. The novel's conclusion, while satisfying, just sort of happens without any build-up.

All these are admittedly the kind of criticisms that occur to one who is really engaged by the book. "Prince" is very much a pleasure to read, a stylistic detour for Twain that still connects with the kid in all more than a century later.Get more detail about The Prince and the Pauper (A Stepping Stone Book(TM)).