Widely regarded as Dickens' finest work and the quintessential Victorian coming-of-age tale, Great Expectations was originally published in serial form between December 1860 and August 1861. In response to contemporary literary criticism asserting that the story was "too sad", Dickens later rewrote the ending. In keeping with long-standing tradition, this volume follows the 1874 edition, published as a full-length novel with the modified ending. This is by far the most widely read and best-known edition, and the version which has become a timeless classic.

The tale follows the life of an orphan, "Pip," from his childhood in the vicinity of the Kentish marshes to London and back again. Pip crosses paths with Abel Magwitch, an escaped convict and one of Dickens' most noteworthy characters, the well-off but unbalanced Miss Havisham, still wearing the wedding dress in which she was abandoned on her wedding day, and her beautiful adopted daughter Estella. Pip has a loyal friend in Joe, the brother-in-law who takes him on as an apprentice, where he is working when, Mr. Jaggers, the lawyer, informs him that he is to receive a large sum from an anonymous benefactor and must immediately travel to London. As the real relationships and identities of the characters are revealed over the course of the story, Pip discovers that things are sometimes not at all what they appear, and Dickens delves into themes of love, loyalty, honesty and revenge.

Born in Portsmouth England on February 7, 1812, Charles Dickens enjoyed a comfortable childhood until his father lost his post at the Navy Pay Office, ultimately landing in debtors' prison. Young Charles endured an horrific experience pasting labels on jars of bootblack in a rat-infested slum and living in an attic. He would later teach himself shorthand and find work as a newspaper writer, covering politics and then the courts. These experiences, with his near-photographic memory, would provide him with material for the colorful characters and vivid depictions of life in England which characterized his work for decades.

The publication of The Pickwick Papers in 1836, the world's first true literary phenomenon, brought Dickens success, and within a few years he was an international celebrity. Ultimately he would become the foremost novelist of the Victorian era and one of the most widely read writers in history. His books have never gone out of print, have been turned into films and plays, and are still widely read today.

Known for his compelling storylines and unforgettable characters, Dickens' stories also served as vehicles for social commentary, often harshly critical of class stratification and public institutions but without the strident or didactic tone that might have alienated readers. In particular, and contrary to the prevailing views of the time, Dickens viewed the poor as wretched not because of their own weaknesses and moral failures but because of their helplessness before society's attitudes and institutions. Yet Dickens managed, even when dealing with grim and serious subject-matter, to maintain a humorous element, and satire and caricature fill the pages of his works.

Dickens died on June 9, 1870, following a stroke. Given the body of work he left behind, it is striking to note that Charles Dickens was just 58 years old at his death.