• The Prince and the Pauper

  • By: Mark Twain
  • Narrated by: Dick Hill
  • Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (118 ratings)

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The Prince and the Pauper  By  cover art

The Prince and the Pauper

By: Mark Twain
Narrated by: Dick Hill
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Publisher's summary

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

What listeners say about The Prince and the Pauper

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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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.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

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.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent Narrator

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

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I love this book!

This is a good audiobook. Fast and easy to comprehend. The voice actor had me skipping whole sections when he would semi yell/growl certain characters speaking parts. It was triggering and hurt my ears. I do appreciate the passion tho. It just bothered me personally.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

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.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very engagibg story

The family enjoyed the story very much during our trip to Florida and back. The narrator is very good but difficult to understand at times due to his accent and the older English of much of the dialog.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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nice overall

great book and very nice plot but hard to listen to the narrator. pretty enjoyable otherwise.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

love Mark Twain but this book is complete garbage

Performance was great, story is horrible. I typically get lost deeply in Mark Twain's writings but this book was so horribly written I kept finding my mind wandering off and couldn't remember what just happened. I found myself dreading returning to the book when I stepped away or paused it. I finally completely gave up with 2 hours left in it, I just couldn't stand it anymore.

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