First published 1881

The Prince and the Pauper

The Prince and the Pauper is Mark Twain's novel first published in 1881 by Dawson Brothers in Canada and Chatto & Windus in Britain, ahead of the 1882 American edition from James R. Osgood. Set in 1547, it tells of a London pauper and Prince Edward who swap places.

Editions tracked: 2
First edition: Dawson Brothers, 1881
First published: Dawson Brothers (Canada) and Chatto & Windus (UK), Canada and United Kingdom, 1881
First UK edition: Chatto & Windus, 1881

The first edition of The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain was published in Montreal by Dawson Brothers in 1881. We track 2 editions.

Editions

Which edition do you have?

First edition

1st Dawson Brothers1881 Hardback I own The Prince and the Pauper, Dawson Brothers 1881 Log in to want this

Later and other editions

Chatto & Windus1881 Hardback I own The Prince and the Pauper, Chatto & Windus 1881 Log in to want this

We have not yet researched the issue points for this book. If you know how to tell the first from later printings, tell us and we will credit you once it is checked against a second source.

About the book

Awards, adaptations and setting

Adaptations

The Prince and the Pauper film, 1915
The Prince and the Pauper film, 1920
The Prince and the Pauper film, 1937
Raja Aur Runk film, 1968
The Prince and the Pauper film, 1977
The Prince and the Pauper animated film, 1990
Tere Mere Sapne film, 1996
The Prince and the Surfer film, 1999
The Pooch and the Pauper film, 2000
The Prince and the Pauper television film, 2000
Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper animated film, 2004
The Prince and the Pauper: The Movie film, 2007

Setting and characters

Set in: England
Genre: cloak and dagger novel, historical fiction, children's fiction

In print

Editions recorded: 755 on Open Library, 632 in English
Wikipedia: Articles in 38 languages
Free to read: Project Gutenberg (out of copyright in the US)

From Wikidata and Open Library, both CC0. A prize or a new adaptation often lifts demand for the first printing.

From Wikimedia Commons

Pictures of the book

Freely licensed pictures of the work. They are not necessarily the edition you hold: check the points on each edition's page.

Same author

More by Mark Twain

Everything by Mark Twain →

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Collecting guides

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All guides

7 min read

How to Identify a First Edition

To identify a first edition, check that your copy is the first printing of the first edition. Read the copyright …

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Book Condition Grading: Fine to Poor Explained

Book condition grading uses a six-step trade scale: Fine, Near Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. Collectors grade the …

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Dust Jackets Explained: Why the Jacket Drives a Book's Value

For most books published since the 1920s, the original dust jacket carries a large share of the value, often most …

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Questions collectors ask

Frequently asked questions

Who published the first edition of The Prince and the Pauper?

The first edition of The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain was published in Montreal by Dawson Brothers in 1881.

How many editions of The Prince and the Pauper are there?

We track 2 editions of The Prince and the Pauper, including 1 first edition. Each has its own page with how to identify it.

Has The Prince and the Pauper been adapted?

Yes, including Kingdom of the Sun (film), The Prince and the Pauper (television series), Barbie: The Princess & the Popstar (film, 2012), according to Wikidata.

What should I read after The Prince and the Pauper?

In order, it follows A Tramp Abroad and it is followed by Life on the Mississippi, according to Wikidata.

Can I read The Prince and the Pauper for free?

Yes: the text is out of copyright in the United States and free to read on Project Gutenberg. Collectors still pay for the first edition, which is the physical object, not the words.

Sources

Where these facts come from

The Prince and the Pauper, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
The Prince and the Pauper, Mark Twain Project (marktwainproject.org)

Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 17 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.