Considered by many to be Dickens's masterpiece, Great Expectations, completed in 1861, tells the engrossing story of Pip, a boy whoses surprising journey to adulthood is mapped by the unseen hand of an escaped convict he helps one fearful and terrifying night. Hard Times, written seven years earlier, is a gripping novel of childhood, family life and the evils of industrialization. This Nonesuch edition features he author's final texts and the illustrations Dickens himself selected to complement his words.