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A wealthy man takes on the moniker of the Scarlet Pimpernel to free those condemned to the guillotine during the height of the French Revolution. This novel, by Barosess Emmuska Orczy is considered to be the definitive work of vigilante chivalry and derring-do. Summary of the Book The French Revolution led to the deaths of hundreds of people. Nobles were condemned to the guillotine, beheaded in public. Marguerite St. Just, a beautiful French actress, is about to be married to Sir Percy Blakeney. Sir Percy is a baronet with a reputation for being a bumbling oaf. Mild-mannered and clumsy, he is considered to be a boring gentleman. The actress wishes her fiance were someone of daring, like the vigilante who is smuggling the condemned out of the country and into Britain. He leads the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel, and he is considered to be a hero. She pines for this mysterious man, but little does she know the truth. The Scarlet Pimpernel is a man that society thinks a clumsy oaf, just like he wants them to. After all, what is better to hide a secret identity than a changed demeanour and some well-timed antics of clumsiness? About Baroness Emmuska Orczy Baroness Emma Magdolna Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála "Emmuska" Orczy de Orczi was a British novelist, artist and playwright born in Hungary. She was born to nobility and is best remembered for her Scarlet Pimpernel series of novels. The Scarlet Pimpernel is the first known usage of the noble vigilante in fiction. This book went on to directly influence the creation of the characters of Zorro and Batman. It was also referenced in an episode of Looney Tunes where Daffy Duck plays the part of the Scarlet Pumpernickel. Series Reading Order The Scarlet Pimpernel’s adventures continue in I Will Repay, The Elusive Pimpernel, Eldorado, Lord Tony’s Wife, The Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel, Sir Percy Hits Back, A Child of the Revolution, The Way of the Scarlet Pimpernel, Sir Percy Leads the Band and Mam'zelle Guillotine.