Great expectations - James Riordan

James Riordan re-tells Charles Dicken's classic novel about a boy who is taken from his poor beginnings to be educated as a gentleman and his ultimate discovery of the identity of his mysterious benefactor. With illustrations by Victor Ambrus. James Riordan lives in Sussex. He did his National Service in the RAF and gained degrees from Birmingham, London and Moscow before working for several years in Moscow as a translator. Recently retired as Professor of Russian Studies at Surrey University, he has written several collections of folk-tales, a number or picture books and four novels. One of his many novels for young adults was a runner up for the Whitbread Children's Book Award. He is well-known for his outstanding retelling of classics. Other retellings in this series are "Gulliver's Travels", "King Arthur" and "The Wizard of Oz". Victor Ambrus lives in Surrey. He was born in Budapest, Hungary. At the Royal College of Art he achieved the position of 'Royal Scholar' in 1958. Now a freelance artist, he also teaches illustration and drawing and has been involved in the production of over seventy children's books for OUP.;The Kate Greenaway Award has been twice won by him and in 1977 he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He has brilliantly brought to life the other classics in this series including "Moby Dick", "Gulliver's Travels", "Don Quixote", "The Odyssey", "King Arthur", "The Wizard of Oz" and "The Canterbury Tales".