Great Expectations

Charles Dickens

Sep 2016 · Pan Macmillan

About this ebook

One of Charles Dickens's most renowned and enjoyable novels, Great Expectations tells the story of Pip, an orphan boy who wishes to transcend his humble origins and is unexpectedly given the opportunity to live a life of wealth and respectability. Now a major BBC drama.

Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is illustrated by various artists and features an afterword by David Pinching.

Over the course of the tale, Pip encounters such famous characters as Miss Havisham, Herbert Pocket and Joe Gargery, and comes to realise that his money is tainted and the girl he loves will not return his affections. Happiness must be found in the things he gave up in pursuit of a more sophisticated life.

About the author

Charles Dickens was born in 1812 near Portsmouth, where his father worked as a clerk. Living in London in 1824, Dickens was sent by his family to work in a blacking-warehouse, and his father was arrested and imprisoned for debt. Fortunes improved and Dickens returned to school, eventually becoming a parliamentary reporter. His first piece of fiction was published by a magazine in December 1832, and by 1836 he had begun his first novel, The Pickwick Papers. He focused his career on writing, completing fourteen highly successful novels including Great Expectations, Oliver Twist and Bleak House, as well as penning journalism, shorter fiction and travel books. He died in 1870.