Great Expectations (Clarendon Dickens)

The newest addition to the acclaimed Clarendon Dickens is based on the three-volume 1861 edition; variant readings, including those in manuscript and extant proofs, are recorded in the textual apparatus, providing an unusually rich source of information on Dickens's methods of composition. Appendices include the original ending, the author's notes, and two textual examinations, one of the five so-called "editions" of 1861, the other a comparison of the one-volme 1862 edition with the 1864 Library edition.

An absorbing mystery as well as a morality tale, the story of Pip, a poor village lad, and his expectations of wealth is Dickens at his most deliciously readable. The cast of characters includes kindly Joe Gargery, the loyal convict Abel Magwitch and the haunting Miss Havisham. If you have heartstrings, count on them being tugged.