The Scarlet Pimpernel

Based on the 1903 play of the same name, the novel was published shortly thereafter and was an immediate success. The Scarlet Pimpernel follows the story of Marguerite Blakeney--a beautiful French actress--and the anonymous hero who rescues condemned aristocrats out of France during the Reign of Terror following the French Revolution. The book's anonymous hero of dual identity is a precursor to latter heros and superheros such as Superman, Zorro, The Lone Ranger, and Batman.