Set in Ranaissance England, The Prince and the Pauper tells the story of Tom Canty, a ragged pauper, and young Edward VI, only son of Henry VIII, who look exactly alike. Almost by accident, the boys exhange places days before Henry's death and Edward's coronation, leaving Tom to the role of future king and Edward to the mercy of the beggars' underworld. A rousing tale of mistaken identity, this annotated edition reveals an optimistic side of Mark Twain seldom seen.