Pudd'nhead Wilson

A baby swap in a small Missouri town sets off a chain of events that will expose the secrets of slavery, identity, and justice. Mark Twain's Pudd'nhead Wilson is part detective story, part social satire, and one of the first novels to use fingerprinting as a plot device. At its center is a lawyer whom the town dismisses as a fool, but whose quiet hobby will prove everyone wrong.

Set in the fictional Dawson's Landing before the Civil War, the novel follows Roxy, an enslaved woman who makes a desperate choice to protect her son, and the two boys whose lives are exchanged in the cradle. As they grow, the town's rigid codes of race and honor shape their fates, leading to a dramatic courtroom climax. Twain mixes humor with a dark look at how slavery corrupts both the enslaved and the enslaver.

This edition is for readers who enjoy classic American fiction, courtroom drama, and stories that make them think. It includes the complete text, a new introduction, a character guide, a summary of the plot, an exploration of major themes, a glossary of period terms, and discussion questions for book clubs and students.