Barnes & Noble Classics: The Scarlet Pimpernel (Paperback)

During the Reign of Terror following the French Revolution, "Sir Percy Blakeney leads a double life: apparently nothing more than a wealthy fop, but in reality a formidable swordsman and a quick-thinking escape artist. The band of gentlemen who assist him are the only ones who know of his secret identity. He is known by his symbol: a simple flower, the scarlet pimpernel"--Wikipedia.org. &&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LI&&RThe Scarlet Pimpernel&&L/I&&R, by &&LB&&RBaroness Orczy&&L/B&&R, is part of the &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics&&L/I&&R&&LI&&R &&L/I&&Rseries, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics&&L/I&&R: &&LDIV&&R

• New introductions commissioned from todays top writers and scholars
• Biographies of the authors
• Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events
• Footnotes and endnotes
• Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work
• Comments by other famous authors
• Study questions to challenge the readers viewpoints and expectations
• Bibliographies for further reading
• Indices & Glossaries, when appropriate

All editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics &&L/I&&Rpulls together a constellation of influences--biographical, historical, and literary--to enrich each readers understanding of these enduring works.&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R &&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&RIn the year 1792, Sir Percy and Lady Marguerite Blakeney are the darlings of British society--he is known as one of the wealthiest men in England and a dimwit;she is French, a stunning former actress, and "the cleverest woman in Europe"--and they find themselves at the center of a deadly political intrigue. The Reign of Terror controls France, and every day aristocrats in Paris fall victim to Madame la Guillotine. Only one man can rescue them--the Scarlet Pimpernel--a master of disguises who leaves a calling card bearing only a signature red flower. As the fascinating connection between the Blakeneys and this mysterious hero is revealed, they are forced to choose between love and loyalty in order to avoid the French agent Chauvelin, who relentlessly hunts the Scarlet Pimpernel.&&LBR&&R&&LBR&&RFirst published in 1905, &&LI&&RThe Scarlet Pimpernel&&L/I&&R is the best-known novel by &&LB&&RBaroness Emmuska Orczy&&L/B&&R, a prolific author of popular fiction and plays. The novel pioneered the tale of the masked avenger and paved the way for such future enigmatic swashbucklers as Zorro, Superman, and the Lone Ranger. Repeatedly adapted for stage and screen--most recently as a successful Broadway musical--&&LI&&RThe Scarlet Pimpernel&&L/I&&R is a relevant and enormously entertaining tale of survival and pluck during times of widespread fear, hypocrisy, and corruption. &&LP&&R&&LB&&RIncludes 8 pieces of original art.&&L/B&&R&&L/P&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LSTRONG&&RSarah Juliette Sasson&&L/B&&R&&L/B&&R is a lecturer in the Department of French and Romance Philology at Columbia University and is the managing editor of the &&LI&&RRomanic Review&&L/I&&R, a journal devoted to romance literatures. She holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Columbia. She specializes in nineteenth-century literature and particularly in the novel. She has published essays on Honoré de Balzac, Heinrich Heine, and on social mobility in nineteenth-century literature. Currently, she is working on a book on Balzac.&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R