Great Expectations was written by Charles Dickens in 1860 and 1861; originally, it was published in weekly instalments in Dickens’ own literary journal All the Year Round. The story continues to be explored today: it has been studied by school students for many years and has been adapted for television and film on numerous occasions.

If you already have a copy of Great Expectations, examine the book cover; or, look up images of covers for the book on an online bookshop.

• What text or images are used on the cover? What colours are predominant, and what kind of font has been chosen?
• If there is a 'blurb' on the back cover, look closely at the language used and the information this gives you.
• What impression of the story, and of the novel, do you get from the cover as a whole?
• Many of Charles Dickens' works are considered literary 'classics'. Does the book cover you have looked at give this impression?