The Prince and the Pauper — Twain, Harper Illus. c.1927

📖 The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens), Harper & Brothers illustrated edition, copy inscribed 1927. A vintage hardcover of Twain’s 1881 historical novel, with full-color plates by W. Hatherell, R.I., in dark cloth with gilt stamping and a mounted pictorial cover plate.

QUICK FACTS

• Author: Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens, 1835–1910)
• Illustrator: W. Hatherell, R.I. (William Hatherell, 1855–1928)
• Publisher: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, New York and London
• Year: c.1927 (copy inscribed 1927; early 20th-century Harper illustrated edition)
• Format: Hardcover, no dust jacket
• Pages: Not stated | ISBN: None (pre-ISBN era)
• Condition: Very Good- (VG-) / Very Good (VG) — full report below

THE STORY

First published in 1881 in Canada before its 1882 U.S. publication, The Prince and the Pauper was Twain’s first attempt at historical fiction. Set in 1547, it follows nine-year-old Edward VI, newly come to the throne of England, and Tom Canty, a London pauper from Offal Court born the same day and his exact look-alike. When the boys exchange clothes, Edward is driven from the palace and wanders England under the protection of the soldier Miles Hendon, while Tom must navigate court customs and the mystery of the missing Great Seal of England. Twain uses the swap to examine class, justice, and power in Tudor England.

THIS EDITION

Published by Harper & Brothers of New York and London, this illustrated edition carries the title-page subtitle “A Tale for Young People of All Ages” and credits W. Hatherell, R.I. — William Hatherell (1855–1928), a British painter and illustrator who studied at the Royal Academy Schools and became a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours in 1888. Hatherell illustrated for Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, including the magazine serialization of Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure. This copy is dated 1927 in a previous owner’s pencil inscription.

ILLUSTRATIONS

The book carries full-color plates by Hatherell, including a frontispiece captioned “Tom stared at the stranger with awed wonder; he never saw a prince before.” Other plates show the two boys side by side before a great mirror, the First Lord of the Treasury kneeling before the prince’s council, and the court’s challenge “Name thy name — who art thou?” The front cover bears a mounted color plate of the prince and the pauper in Tudor dress within a gilt-stamped border on dark cloth; the spine reads “The Prince and the Pauper — Mark Twain — HARPERS” in gilt.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Twain’s first attempt at historical fiction, published in 1881
• Hatherell’s plates connect the book to the golden age of magazine illustration — he worked for Harper’s New Monthly Magazine alongside commissions such as Jude the Obscure
• Provenance: engraved ex libris bookplate on the front paste-down and a 1927 pencil signature on the front endpaper

FREQUENTLY ASKED

What edition is this? A Harper & Brothers illustrated hardcover, c.1927, with full-color plates by W. Hatherell, R.I.

What condition is it in? Graded Very Good- (VG-) / Very Good (VG); full report below.

Is it signed? Not signed by the author; the front endpaper carries a neat 1927 pencil signature from a previous owner.

Is a dust jacket included? No dust jacket is present.

FOR COLLECTORS

A Harper illustrated Twain with Hatherell color plates, gilt-and-pictorial binding, and dated 1927 provenance — a presentable reading copy for a classic literature or dark academia shelf rather than a high-end rarity.

Book Details

Author: Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens)

Illustrator: W. Hatherell, R.I.

Publisher: Harper & Brothers Publishers (New York and London)

Binding: HARDCOVER

Edition Points: Early 20th-century illustrated edition featuring full-color plates by William Hatherell; dark navy/black cloth with gilt-stamped border, lettering, and mounted color cover plate. Previous owner inscription dated 1927.

Condition Report

Overall Grade: Very Good- (VG-)/ Very Good (VG)

Cover & Spine: Black cloth remains clean and sturdy with bright gilt stamping on front board; pictorial cover paste-down is well-preserved with vibrant coloration; bumping to spine ends and board corners, with spine gilt faded and front lower board corner lightly frayed.

Text Block & Pages: Lightly age-toned text block with upper edge most so; pages remain supple and unmarked throughout; decorative artistic bookplate on front paste-down and neat vintage 1927 pencil signature to front endpaper; color plates are clean and bright.

Binding: Square, tight, and sound with intact hinges. Frontispiece is detached, all other plates present and attached.

See accompanying images for full condition details. Will ship promptly, carefully packaged.

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