The Prince and the Pauper

By: Mark Twain

Narrated by: Dick Hill

Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper is a timeless tale of switched identities. After the young Prince Edward VI of England and a peasant boy switch places, the "little king" tries to escape from a world in which he must beg for food, sleep with rodents, face ridicule, and avoid assassination.

Meanwhile, the peasant, who is now the prince, dreads exposure and possible execution - while members of the Court believe he has gone mad. As a result of the swap, both boys learn that social class, like so much of life, is determined by chance and random circumstance.

Originally published in 1881, The Prince and the Pauper is one of Twain's earliest social satires. With his caustic wit and biting irony, he satirizes the power of the monarchy, unjust laws and barbaric punishments, superstitions, and religious intolerance. Although usually viewed as a child's story, The Prince and the Pauper offers adults critical insight into a people and time period not really all that different from our own.

Public Domain (P)2010 Tantor

A really great story

A timeless classic that I found to be very relatable in both the prince as well as the the pauper. It was very interesting and I highly recommend this book.

.wonderful narration

The narrator’s marvelous voice which was so richly endowed with expression and so many British accents

Excellent Narrator

The narrator reads the story with such zeal and enthusiasm as to give additional life to the story.

Education of a Prince

Dick Hill does a superb job in narration and bringing the characters to full vigor. Twain's language is a little clunky. I would place this story on the same level as "Tom Sawyer." This novel should be studied by all in middle school.

Good narrator, wordy but entertaining Twain

I didn’t realize that the price and the pauper was a story originally written by Mark Twain until I saw it listed as a free classic with Audible. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the story and how easy it was to follow, given that a lot of works from the late 1800s do not age well in that regard. There is clear classic Twain satire, but also some very funny scenes and lots of historical details that will make you happy to be alive in the year 2022 instead of 1500.