Great Expectations (Edited Classic)

A young orphan boy, Pip, is preparing to become a blacksmith in rural England. Suddenly, a lawyer informs him that he is to be treated like a gentleman because he has great expectations. What does the lawyer mean? Will Pip come into a vast fortune one day? Will his new status enable him to marry the beautiful Estella, with whom he instantly falls in love? And who is his secret benefactor? Will Pips prospects finally bring him happiness - or misery?

Townsend Library classics have been edited to make them more accessible to todays readers. But the books have not been abridged in the sense of shortening them by sacrificing story development, character richness, and the authors voice. In our experience, abridged books result from a simplistic removal of large chunks of material or a formulaic translation that robs a book of its distinctive flavor. By contrast, as we produce a Townsend Library title, we seek to edit the material carefully and respectfully in order to preserve the qualities that have made the book a classic.

TL editors approach every book entirely on its own merits, guided constantly by these questions:

What will get in the way of a readers enjoyment of this wonderful story?

How can the story be made more readable while preserving the integrity of the original book?