This treasured historical satire, played out in two very different socioeconomic worlds of 16th-century England, centers around the lives of two boys born in London on the same day: Edward, Prince of Wales, and Tom Canty, a street beggar. During a chance encounter, the two realize they are identical and, as a lark, decide to exchange clothes and roles — a situation that briefly, but drastically, alters the lives of both youngsters. The Prince, dressed in rags, wanders about the city's boisterous neighborhoods among the lower classes and endures a series of hardships; poor Tom, now living with the royals, is constantly filled with the dread of being discovered for who and what he really is. Brimming with gentle humor and discerning social scrutiny, this timeless tale of transposed identities remains one of Twain's most popular and best-loved novels.
Kenneth S. Lynn Books




Rinehart Editions: Sister Carrie
- 484 pages
- 17 hours of reading
Theodore Dreiser's first and perhaps most accessible novel, Sister Carrie is an epic of urban life - the story of an innocent heroine adrift in an indifferent city. When small-town girl Carrie Meeber sets out for Chicago, she is equipped with nothing but a few dollars, a certain unspoiled beauty and charm, and a pitiful lack of preparation for the complex moral choices she will face.
Charlie Chaplin and His Times
- 608 pages
- 22 hours of reading
With his trademark bowler hat, baggy trousers, and impertinent mustache, the Little Tramp dazzled audiences and catapulted Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977) to an incendiary degree of fame and international iconography. This astute biography of Chaplin’s life and times delves into his childhood, career, and often controversial relationships with four wives and a slew of mistresses to illuminate his elusive genius and cinematic output, as well as his sometimes reprehensible personal behavior.
Werner Schmitz ist seit 1981 als Übersetzer tätig, u. a. von Malcolm Lowry, John le Carré, Ernest Hemingway, Philip Roth und Paul Auster. 2011 erhielt er den Heinrich Maria Ledig-Rowohlt-Preis. Er lebt in der Lüneburger Heide.