The Scarlet Pimpernel Annotated and Illustrated Edition

The Scarlet Pimpernel was initially rejected by publishers, when Orczy completed it in 1903. Undeterred, she reinvented the book as a play, which went on to be successful, leading to the publication of the book in 1905. The book was an immediate success with the public, relieving Orczy of her financial troubles, but critics found it superficial, classist, and ultimately little more than a disposable lark.