Dickens' 13th novel has remained pre-eminent among readers for good reasons. "Great Expectations" (published originally as a weekly serial from 1860 to 1861) has an attractive yet flawed first-person narrator. The plot moves forward with compelling momentum, fueled by mystery, romance, and reversals, and graced with an artistry many consider Dickens' most nearly perfect literary achievement. This new reference companion sets out to recover and illuminate the Victorian culture and allusive verbal worlds that inform the novel. How distinctive are the story's temporal and topographical...