Master wit Mark Twain selected these twenty-seven stories himself by fifteen of his favorite nineteenth century authors. The order follows that which Twain placed them in in the original anthology, published in 1888. He indulged his comic fancy rather than making a textbook in which all themes or authors are placed together, saying that "This way, you will have to peruse the whole thing before discovering that one of your favorites is not included."...

When young Prince Edward meets a pauper who resembles him, they trade clothes and switch places. The prince learns of the plight of common folk while the pauper learns how the nobility live.