The Prince and the Pauper

A magnificent gift edition of large format. Hardcover with partial varnish. White paper. Clear, easy-to-read font. A large number of full-color illustrations.
"Perhaps all this happened, and perhaps it didn't, but it could have happened." Such a strange beginning to a... novel, with a true king as the main character, immediately sets the tone for an encounter with something unusual, mysterious, and hard to explain. As if in a time machine, we are transported to the 16th century and embark on a fascinating journey through the landscapes of England.
At the heart of Mark Twain's novel "The Prince and the Pauper" lies the eternal dream of people for a wise and compassionate ruler. The author makes the heir to the throne go through a harsh school of life, so that the young prince experiences all the woes that befall his subjects: need, hunger, bloody laws. From the royal palace, Edward finds himself in the slums of the London suburbs, in a hovel of vagabonds, and in the hut of a hermit. But his double, Tom, is also destined to make an amazing discovery: at the pinnacle of power, people possess the same vices as those at the bottom of society: cruelty, hypocrisy, and sanctimoniousness. Fortunately, as Alexander Kuprin wrote, "both young men will pay the people back a hundredfold for the knowledge they gained from its depths."
The classic translation of the novel into Russian was done by Nikolai and Korney Chukovsky. The outstanding masters of the word perfectly conveyed all the nuances of Twain's famous humor, ranging from sarcastic smirks to good-natured smiles. 
Colorful, airy, precise illustrations by Ekaterina Komrakova create a sense of personal presence in old England for readers and encourage them to return to them again and again to examine all the details.