Baroness Emma Orczy

The Scarlet Pimpernel illustrated Baroness Emma Orczy

The historical novel entitled The Scarlet Pimpernel is a classic and truly deserves this prestigious title. The author of this enthralling 267-page book is Baroness Emma Orczy and it was published by Dodd, Mead & Company in the year 1964. The scene is set in the terrorized Paris of revolutionary France in the 1800s. During this time period, nobody was safe from the horrifying grasp of "Madame la Guillotine" which claimed hundreds of lives every day. But a few brave men headed by a courageous person known only as the anonymous Scarlet Pimpernel helped the innocent escape from their deaths. By use of trickery and deceit, these 20 men helped many endangered aristocrats escape from France back to the safety of England. There, the lives of the royalty and honored citizens were protected. Among the most widely acknowledged person of high society at the time was Lady Marguerite Blakeney who was also known as being the "cleverest woman in Europe."