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Made less satirical than Mark Twain's classic and simplified for younger readers, this retelling is still a lively romp. A beggar and a prince look so alike that they change places but then cannot immediately switch back. Mayer's (The Unicorn and the Lake) adaptation is serviceable if not sparkling; she retains all the key scenes of the story but flattens Twain's archaisms. While some of the original's sophisticated humor gets lost in the translation, much of it remains. For example, when Edward, the prince, tries telling pauper Tom's parents that he is really the Prince of Wales, Tom's mother responds, "Oh, poor Tom, it's all those books you read that's done this to you." And in court, when Tom is given a finger bowl, he drinks from it, announcing, "This is a very flavorless soup." Lippincott (Bruce Coville's Magic Shop series) vibrantly renders the ragged features of the paupers, and his tableaux are full of life. His palace scenes are ornate, light-filled watercolors of splendor in which the boys' homely, toothy faces seem like the only real and honest things. For readers not yet ready for Twain, this version, like its model, will make them think about their places in the world. Ages 7-up. 內容簡介
Rich with surprise and hilarious adventure, The Prince and the Pauper is a delightful satire of England's romantic past and a joyful boyhood romp filled with the same tongue-in-cheek irony that sparks the best of Mark Twain's tall tales. Two boys, one an urchin from London's filthy lanes, the other a prince born in a lavish palace, unwittingly trade identities. Thus a bedraggled "Prince of Poverty" discovers that his private dreams have all come true—while a pampered Prince of Wales finds himself tossed into a rough-and-tumble world of squalid beggars and villainous thieves. Originally written as a story for children, The Prince and the Pauper is a classic novel for adults as well—through its stinging attack on the ageless human folly of attempting to measure true worth by outer appearances.
《王子與貧兒》是美國作傢馬剋·吐溫的代錶作。它描寫瞭王子愛德華和貧兒湯姆通過一個陰差陽錯的偶然機會互相換瞭位置,王子變成瞭窮小子,窮小子卻成為瞭王子。曾經的窮小子湯姆穿著王子的衣服在王宮裏盡享榮華富貴,還當上瞭英國的新國王;而貨真價實的王子愛德華卻四處流浪,不得不忍受貧窮和乞丐們的欺淩和嘲諷。在好人的幫助下,王子經曆瞭重重劫難,改正瞭自己的壞習慣,最終迴到瞭王宮;而貧兒湯姆在良心的譴責下,將不屬於自己的王位還給瞭真正的王子。此後,王子成瞭一位仁慈、勤勞的君主,和他的子民一起過著幸福的生活。 精彩書評
Grade 4-6. Carl Reiner narrates this abridged version of The Prince and the Pauper. It captures the main plot points of the book and retains the rollicking humor of Twain's writing. The story concerns Tom Canty, a poor boy, who bears a striking resemblance to Prince Edward, heir to the throne of England. Through a series of mishaps, the boys change places, and those around them do not believe them when they each claim to be the other boy. Eventually, all ends well, with Edward restored to the throne and Tom retaining a place in his court. Reiner's narration is, at first, a big jarring, since an American accent telling a very British story is unexpected. However, once the story develops, listeners will quickly become engrossed. Various sound effects, such as trumpet fanfares, give the story some color. Overall, this is an entertaining choice for most public libraries.
——Melissa Hudak, Roscoe Branch Library, Loves Park, IL
Grade 1-3-Condensing a 400-page novel into a picture book is a monumental task. The Prince and the Pauper is a long moralistic tale with difficult dialogue written in the archaic pattern of the 16th century. It is also a rollicking adventure of drama and narrow escapes. Though more understated than many of Mark Twain's novels, it is also filled with his sly wit and humor. Mayer does manage to convey the basics of the story in readable prose but the nuances of the novel are necessarily lost. For example, the name of Tom's home, Offal Court, which does as much as any description to place the boy's station in life, is not mentioned. Also, some vital connections are not made. The hiding of the Great Seal and Tom's accidental knowledge of its location, which is the key to Edward's eventual recognition as king, is not delineated. The build up of humor in such events as the first royal dinner, where after a series of mistakes and gaffs, Tom is afraid to scratch his violently itching nose, can not be contained in the shortened version. The illustrations, done in realistic watercolors, though often relying too heavily on gaping mouths to portray emotion, pick up the dramatic moments of the story. Ultimately, though, even a skillful picture-book retelling can be no more than a brief summary of the original, and not a substitute for it.
——Karen James, Louisville Free Public Library, KY
《迷霧中的航程:關於19世紀英國航運業的興衰與社會變遷》 本書深入剖析瞭19世紀英國作為全球航運霸主的崛起、鼎盛及其在維多利亞時代晚期所麵臨的挑戰與轉型。這不是一部關於王子與貧兒的童話,而是一部聚焦於煤炭、鋼鐵、蒸汽與汗水交織的工業史詩。 第一章:蒸汽時代的黎明與新時代的序幕 19世紀伊始,英國的航運業正經曆著一場由技術革新驅動的深刻變革。傳統的帆船時代在蒸汽機的驅動下迅速退居次要地位。本章細緻考察瞭早期的蒸汽船如何從沿海貿易的補充力量,逐步發展成為遠洋航行中的主力軍。我們著重分析瞭焦煤供應的穩定化對蒸汽動力普及的決定性作用,以及鐵質船體的應用如何徹底改變瞭船舶的承載能力和抗風浪能力。 我們通過分析當時倫敦、利物浦和格拉斯哥等主要港口的數據,描繪瞭港口基礎設施如何為迎接更大、更快的蒸汽船而進行大規模的擴建與升級。泰晤士河的疏浚工程、利物浦的船塢建設,無一不體現瞭國傢意誌對“海權”的執著追求。此外,本章還探討瞭早期蒸汽船在航行可靠性、燃煤效率以及船員組織結構方麵所經曆的初期摸索與痛苦教訓。 第二章:全球貿易的網絡化與“大擴張” 隨著蘇伊士運河的開鑿(盡管其對英國航運的全麵影響更集中在19世紀後半葉),以及大英帝國在全球範圍內的軍事與商業擴張,英國的商船隊成為瞭連接世界各個角落的動脈。本章聚焦於“大擴張”時期,即1840年至1870年間,英國如何鞏固其在跨大西洋、印度洋和太平洋航綫上的主導地位。 我們將詳細研究棉花、茶葉、羊毛和移民潮這四大驅動力如何塑造瞭特定的航綫和船型設計。例如,為瞭滿足對快速運輸的茶葉需求,齣現瞭專為速度設計的快速帆船(如著名的“茶葉快船”),它們在蒸汽船全麵占領市場前夕,展現瞭傳統工藝的最後輝煌。同時,本章也深入探討瞭跨洋移民的社會經濟影響,數百萬愛爾蘭人、蘇格蘭人和英國人乘坐著擁擠的貨客兩用船前往北美和澳大利亞,這為航運業帶來瞭持續的客運收入,同時也引發瞭關於船上人道待遇的早期社會爭論。 第三章:鋼鐵、速度與“鐵甲時代”的挑戰 19世紀中後期,航運業進入瞭純粹的鋼鐵與機械時代。本章將重點分析復閤鋼材和後來的全鋼船體技術如何徹底取代瞭木材。這種轉變不僅關乎材料本身,更關乎速度的競賽。誰能更快地將貨物送達目的地,誰就能在競爭中占據上風。 我們對比瞭不同船東(如白星航運、冠達航運)在速度與載重之間的戰略選擇。速度的提升帶來瞭對發動機技術的更高要求,活塞式發動機的效率提升、復閤膨脹蒸汽機的應用,使得航程更遠、燃煤消耗相對降低。本章還細緻分析瞭航運保險業(如勞閤社)在評估這些快速、高價值船隻風險時所采用的新標準和新定價模型。 第四章:碼頭工人與海員的生活:工業陰影下的階層固化 航運業的繁榮並非沒有代價。本章將視角從宏大的國傢戰略轉嚮具體的勞動者。碼頭工人是港口機器運轉的基石,他們從事著高風險、低迴報的體力勞動。我們查閱瞭19世紀末期關於碼頭工人罷工的記錄,分析瞭工會組織(如碼頭工人工會)的早期發展及其在爭取閤理工作時間、安全保障和工資標準方麵的努力。 對於海員而言,蒸汽船上的生活與帆船時代截然不同,但危險依然如影隨形。我們通過船員日誌和海軍檔案,重構瞭蒸汽船上的等級製度、惡劣的居住環境以及長期海上航行對健康的生理與心理影響。本章旨在揭示,在英國“海上霸權”的背後,是龐大的勞動階層所承受的艱辛與犧牲。 第五章:變革的暗流:來自美德與德意誌的競爭 進入19世紀最後二十年,英國航運業的霸主地位開始受到挑戰。美國在五大湖地區以及大西洋貿易中,憑藉政府補貼和更先進的造船技術(尤其是在鋼材成本控製上),開始蠶食英國的市場份額。同時,德國的漢堡和不來梅等港口,通過快速發展集裝箱化前的標準化貨物裝載係統,以及在化學品和高價值貨物運輸上的專業化,成為瞭強勁的競爭對手。 本章分析瞭英國航運業在應對這一挑戰時的反應:是堅持傳統優勢(如船員的高素質和全球航綫的廣度),還是被迫進行技術革新和成本壓縮。我們考察瞭第一次國際性貨運價格協議的嘗試,以及英國政府在麵對外國補貼競爭時所采取的有限乾預措施,為20世紀初航運業格局的重塑埋下瞭伏筆。 結論:不列顛的船錨與未來的潮汐 本書最後總結瞭19世紀英國航運業對全球政治經濟産生的深遠影響,並強調瞭技術迭代、資本流動與勞動力管理是如何共同塑造瞭這個工業奇跡。這是一個關於野心、工程學、全球擴張以及社會代價的故事,它展示瞭一個帝國如何利用海洋構建起自身的命運,同時也預示瞭這種基於重工業的霸權在新的技術浪潮麵前所必然麵對的結構性挑戰。