The thirteenth and penultimate novel by Charles Dickens, Great Expectations chronicles the education of Pip, an orphan living in mid-nineteenth century London. Including such themes as wealth and poverty, love and rejection, and triumph over evil, this novel represents a classic example of Dickensian literature not to be missed by lovers of his work. Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812-1870) was an English writer and social critic famous for having created some of the world’s most well-known fictional characters. His works became unprecedentedly popular during his life, and today he is commonly regarded as the greatest Victorian-era novelist. Although perhaps better known for such works as Oliver Twist or A Christmas Carol , Dickens first gained success with the 1836 serial publication of The Pickwick Papers , which turned him almost overnight into an international literary celebrity thanks to his humour, satire, and astute observations concerning society and character. This classic work is being republished now in a new edition complete with an introductory chapter from Appreciations and Criticisms of the Works of Charles Dickens by G. K. Chesterton.