For this edition of the Norton Critical Edition of "Hard Times" the text has been considerably improved by the addition of new explanatory notes and marginal line numbers for easy reference.

The textual notes and Dickens' working plans have also been revised.

The backgrounds, sources and contemporary reactions section introduces two new pieces by Dickens, one on education and one on utilitarianism, and eight new essays are offered in the criticism section.

These include an essay by David Lodge on the problems of structuralism in the novel, Roger Fowler's examination of the characters' speech patterns, Juliet McMaster's interpretation of Dickens' use of colour imagery and George Ford's essay on the problems of adapting the novel for television.