Product Description
This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Published by: George H. Doran Company in 1917 in 380 pages; Subjects: Fiction / General; Fiction / Action & Adventure; Fiction / Classics; Fiction / Historical; Fiction / Literary; ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishings Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the worlds literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Published by: Dodd, Mead & Company in 1907 in 361 pages; Subjects: English fiction; Fiction / Action & Adventure; Fiction / Historical; Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General; Literary Criticism / European / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh; ... Read more

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Publisher: London : HutchinsonPublication date: 1911Notes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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General Books publication date: 2009Original publication date: 1914Original Publisher: George H. Doran CompanySubjects: Fiction / Action ... Read more

Product Description
Publisher: Dodd, Mead ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishings Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the worlds literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
Publisher: New York : George H. Doran companySubjects: Flanders -- History FictionNotes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be numerous typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
Lord Duffield seemed as if he would like to prolong the interview. He looked to me as if he had something on his mind which he could not bring himself to tell, even to his lawyer. Skin o' my Tooth, with his keen insight, also noted the struggle, I am sure, for he waited silently for a moment or two. However, after a brief pause, Lord Duffield rose, shook hands with my chief, nodded to me, and with a few parting instructions he finally left the room. ... Read more

Product Description
"Oddly enough he seemed to be a very absent-minded sort of person, for on this second occasion, no sooner had he left than the waiter found a pocket-book in the coffee-room, underneath the table. It contained sundry letters and bills, all addressed to William Kershaw. This pocket-book was produced, and Karl Müller, who had returned to the court, easily identified it as having belonged to his dear and lamented friend 'Villiam.' ... Read more

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"You may imagine," said the man in the corner, "how keen was the excitement of that moment in court. Coroner and jury alike literally hung breathless on every word that shabby, vulgar individual uttered. You see, by itself his evidence would have been worth very little, but coming on the top of that given by James Terry, its significance--more, its truth--had become glaringly apparent. Closely cross-examined, he adhered strictly to his statement; and having finished his evidence, George Higgins remained in charge of the constables, and the next witness of importance was called up. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
Mark and Hugh are school friends. When Mark visits Hugh's house, where there is the most odd museum, complete with mummies. For Hugh's father is an archaeologist and Egyptologist. One day, Mark receives word from his friend to 'Come at once if you can.' He finds Hugh has taken over his father's work and is in possession of a secret encoded in a papyrus that is thousands of years old. He has discovered that the descendants of the ancient pharaohs are still living in the Lybian desert. The two friends set out at once for Egypt. Their journey involves incredible adventures, strange sights, a beautiful princess and great dangers... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Baroness' favorite book...
In the tradition of Rider Haggard's She, By The God's Belovedwas the Baroness' favorite book. So whatever happened to the original Egyptians? Sure you think you know, conquered by Alexander the Great, beaten by the Romans, assimilated... disappeared.... Well no, seems abunch oif them are rumoured to be living in a secret canyon somewhere in the Lybian desert. Armed with an ancient papyrus two friends Mark and Hugh set off to find them. Their journey involves incredible adventures, strange sights, a beautiful princess and great dangers. Fortunately they have a card to play, timing is everything... ... Read more

Product Description
This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Published by: George H. Doran company in 1914 in 457 pages; Subjects: Fiction / Action & Adventure; Fiction / Historical; Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General; Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Police Procedural; Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Traditional British; Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Women Sleuths; ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A fun adventure tale full of non-love-at-first-sight and heroics
If you've read any of Orczy's other work, the style of this one won't be a surprise ... a romantic tale of villains and heroes, and honor, chivalry, a blossoming love story, and full of lavish descriptions.This is a standalone 'prequel' story to the Scarlet Pimpernel books, but all the characters are distinct and I think this is one of the best stories she wrote.Diogenes and his fellow 'philosophers' are even more fun than his namesake descendant, being somewhat of a ruffian.

Copyright is out on these so you can find the words on the Internet, but this published book is quite nice, decently large and well-bound with nice print.It's totally worth the money to save you the eye strain.Plus, you get the eponymous cavalier on the cover :).

An engaging and even educational novel
Strange how the literary mind works; if I can be so conceited as to call my mind "literary." While reading The Laughing Cavalier I continually chastised myself for thinking snobbish thoughts. To be specific, "This book is so enjoyable, it cannot have been a critical success." Baroness Orczy's books did manage to buy her an estate in Monte Carlo, but what did the critics say? My research never turned up a pro or con on this issue, but I wondered just the same.

Not without just cause. Anyone who has been to high school knows that "the classics" can get really boring. More recently, I pondered the phenomenon of "Critical Acclaim" again when I read The Workshop: Seven Decades of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. The stories presented in this book were intriguing until the timeline progressed to the `60's, at which time the stories became progressively pointless and uniformly depressing. When I finished Gail Godwin's "A Sorrowful Woman," I closed the book and forgot about reading any more "critically acclaimed" works. To Ms. Godwin's credit, hers was a well-written story, but the only inspiration one gets from this story might be to buy razor blades.

Only recently, I read in the Wall Street Journal that Daphne Du Maurier died a wealthy but sorrowful woman because her works never received the critical acclaim she craved. I thought maybe she should take it as a compliment. In my plebeian opinion Rebecca is one of the finest novels ever written, and as intriguing as The Last of the Mohicans is boring.

So tell me again, what this has to do with The Laughing Cavalier? No, I don't think the critics liked TLC. Yes, I do recommend it. TLC is an engaging and even educational novel. You learn some European history. You learn some art history, and you learn a lot of words from the Dutch language. The words, even the swear words, can create a learning curve that may take a while to overcome.

The story takes place in Holland, where a plot to kill the Stadtholder (one of those Dutch words for a ruler) was in the planning in a Cathedral on New Years' Eve, 1624. As luck would have it, the sister of one of the plotters overheard the plans. The plotters found it necessary to remove the young woman until the deed was done, and since they could not find it in their hearts to kill her, they arranged to have her kidnapped. When they happened upon the "laughing cavalier", Diogenes, they knew they had found the perfect man for the job. The Cavalier is very good at what he does, and the kidnapping is accomplished without a hitch, except that Diogenes must return to finish posing for his friend, Franz Hals, who needs to finish his painting called The Laughing Cavalier, in order to sell the painting and feed his family. After the painting is finished, Diogenes and Hals mosey over to the local tavern to quench their thirst. There they meet a local nobleman who is overcome with grief because his daughter has been kidnapped. Hals, unaware of Diogenes' previous deed, encourages the nobleman to hire his friend to rescue her. Although Diogenes tries to demure, Hals will not take "no" for an answer, and the nobleman, convinced, offers Diogenes half his fortune to bring his daughter home.

Unlike The Scarlet Pimpernel, his ancestor, Diogenes, has not yet established himself as a man of sterling character or irreproachable moral integrity. Some of the fun of TLC is that one is uncertain whether he will wind up in jail or on the scaffold, and whether he just might deserve such a fate.

An interesting historical note is that Baroness Orczy was a painter as well as a writer, although she was not successful as a painter, a likely reason why she included a real-life painter in her novel. Franz Hals was actually a painter of this historical period. His painting of The Laughing Cavalier appears as the cover for this ebook download.

The beginning for the Scarlet Pimpernel
"The Scarlet Pimpernel" is one of my favorite movies. Since first watching it in the early 1980s I've watched two to three dozen times. I am working to indoctrinate my daughters. My oldest says she has seen it five time!

In the late 1980s I saw the play in London. They did a great job. I burst out laughing when they went in to rescue the prince and a game of rugby broke out.

Recently while reading at the Percival Blakeney Academy blog I realized that I had never read any of Baroness Orczy's books. In doing a bit of research I found there were a whole series of books on "The Scarlet Pimpernel" by Emma Orczy.

I decided to start at the beginning, with "The Laughing Cavalier." This is the story of one of Sir Percy Blakeney's ancestors. Diogenes, our hero, is an Englishman in Holland in 1623. He is asked to kidnap a young woman, who you soon realize will be his future wife.

There is a lot of intrigue against the Prince of Orange. The villain is planning an uprising. The woman's brother has been taken in by the villian. The brother is the one who hired the cavalier. It was kind of funny, later the father offers to pay Diogenes to find his daughter. And at one point the woman tries to pay Diogenes to warn the Prince of Orange. Diogenes declines the offer but still manages to warn the prince.

I enjoyed the story. It was pleasant, fast moving, and interesting. I enjoyed the historical background. The book was very descriptive in how people lived.

If you have enjoyed any of Baroness Orczy's stories, I'm sure you will enjoy "The Laughing Cavalier."

It is probably about time to watch the movie again!

The beginning for the Scarlet Pimpernel
"The Scarlet Pimpernel" is one of my favorite movies. Since first watching it in the early 1980s I've watched two to three dozen times. I am working to indoctrinate my daughters. My oldest says she has seen it five time!

In the late 1980s I saw the play in London. They did a great job. I burst out laughing when they went in to rescue the prince and a game of rugby broke out.

Recently while reading at the Percival Blakeney Academy blog I realized that I had never read any of Baroness Orczy's books. In doing a bit of research I found there were a whole series of books on "The Scarlet Pimpernel" by Emma Orczy.

I decided to start at the beginning, with "The Laughing Cavalier." This is the story of one of Sir Percy Blakeney's ancestors. Diogenes, our hero, is an Englishman in Holland in 1623. He is asked to kidnap a young woman, who you soon realize will be his future wife.

There is a lot of intrigue against the Prince of Orange. The villain is planning an uprising. The woman's brother has been taken in by the villian. The brother is the one who hired the cavalier. It was kind of funny, later the father offers to pay Diogenes to find his daughter. And at one point the woman tries to pay Diogenes to warn the Prince of Orange. Diogenes declines the offer but still manages to warn the prince.

I enjoyed the story. It was pleasant, fast moving, and interesting. I enjoyed the historical background. The book was very descriptive in how people lived.

If you have enjoyed any of Baroness Orczy's stories, I'm sure you will enjoy "The Laughing Cavalier."

It is probably about time to watch the movie again!

Super Reader
Even more romping in the face of those dastardly Frenchie anti-royalist
cranium removers. Fun adventure. Lots of information on the beginnings
and early adventures of the group that leads up to the Scarlet
Pimpernel. Much capturing of the good guys by evil bad guys, threats,
dramatic posturing, attempts to take away the women, desperate
horseback rides and war. ... Read more

Product Description
The story starts in 1624 in the Netherlands and concerns the Scarlet Pimpernel's ancestor, Diogenes, aka the first Sir Percy Blakeney. Diogenes and his friends Socrates and Pythagoras swear allegiance to the royalist cause. Their undivided loyalty results in many adventures - and more than one foe. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Laughing Cavalier, Part II
The First Sir Percy could be called The Laughing Cavalier, Part II because it takes up where the previous book leaves off in the highly addictive The Scarlet Pimpernel series. The cast of characters in the two novels is almost identical, except that we get to know Mynheer Berensteyn (Gilda's father) and the Stadtholder (Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange) by actions more than mere reference. We also become reacquainted with the Stadtholder's sworn enemy the Lord Stoutenburg, who has grown more dastardly and despicable since his defeat at the hands of Diogenes at the end of The Laughing Cavalier. The comical and steadfast Pythagoras and Socrates are also there to join Diogenes in a Dutch version of The Three Musketeers.

Our hero's story begins with an air of celebration in the Berensteyn's hometown of Amersfoort. The happy circumstance (which I will not mention here for fear of spoiling the surprise) soon turns to dismay as Amersfoort is overrun by the Netherlands' enemy, Spain. We soon learn that the invaders had Lord Stoutenburg to thank for betraying his homeland and making their ingress possible.

The residents of the city soon come to the bitter realization that Stoutenburg has arrived to oversee the occupation forces. To settle a more personal matter, he moves into the Berensteyn household and tries to create as much misery as he feels they have visited upon him. In his twisted imagination Stoutenburg envisions that a little emotional blackmail is the most effective means of renewing his broken betrothal to Gilda. Surprisingly, he nearly succeeds. Gilda's weak and untrustworthy brother, Klaas also makes inroads in his own quest to prove Diogenes (or Sir Percy, to the English) a traitor.

The story teeters on the brink of disaster, as again, we wonder just who can we trust, and how in the devil is Diogenes going to get out of this trap, and again, should he? To tell more of this story, even the events in the beginning, would give away the ending of The Laughing Cavalier. Thus, suffice it to say that if you have read The Laughing Cavalier, don't stop there. After all, you've already learned the Dutch, you know the characters, so you can sit back, relax, and enjoy The First Sir Percy.

Super Reader
This is the second of the prequels I suppose you could say, to the main Scarlet Pimpernel chronology, and is the story of the older generation.

The woman the first Sir Percy is to marry has a brother that is definitely a nogoodnik, and this gets in the way of their life.

This has to be resolved, but it is not the same superheroic type style of the Pimpernel escapades, although the writing is similar.

The First Sir Percy
This prequel to Baroness Orzcy's Scarlet Pimpernel series interested me for I love that series.I would seriously suggest to read at least the Scarlet Pimpernel and Eldorado first.The story follows Sir Percy's fatheror great grandfather in an adventure that starts his wedding day and takeshim far away from his bride and her traitorous brother.The novel mainlyfollows the acts of the brother, Nicholaus, as he becomes more and morecorrupt.His feelings are very detailed and his character is thoroughlyanalyzed.Gilda is obviously just a clone of Marguerrite, and Sir Percy isnever much like the man that will be named after him.All in all a goodread but I would not suggest this be the first book you buy or read in theseries. ... Read more

Product Description
An irresistible blend of romance, intrigue, and suspense, this timeless historical adventure recalls the Reign of Terror following the French Revolution, when ruthless mobs ruled the streets of Paris and hundreds of royals were condemned to face the guillotine each day. The only hope of many was a courageous leader who spirited aristocrats across the Channel to England and safety. Known by the name of the wildflower he leaves as a calling card, the Pimpernel becomes the darling of the people and is particularly admired by Marguerite Blakeney, who scorns her foppish husband as ardently as she esteems this gallant hero.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (144)

This was an excellent page turning fluff novel
This was an excellent page turning fluff novel. Or so it seemed, having just read a 600 page
book on Napoleon's invasion of Russia...The author unfolded the story well and demonstrated a knack for
suspense and metaphor. Though some of the events were contrived and the story was
historically inaccurate a couple of times, the writing flowed and was gripping at times.
This was an entertaining read. For French Rev fans, this novel did not get into the details of the French Revolution.
In fact,the historical setting could havebeen almost any with no change to the basic plot.
Again, this was an entertaining read and would be a great book for the beach or a flight overseas.

Wonderful Classic Tale!
Fun book! I couldn't help feeling as I read The Scarlet Pimpernel, that I've been here before. I realized quick enough- I have.

I've been in exactly the same place in all those regency romance novels I've read in the past where the hero pretends to be something he's not and in every secret identity superhero story ever told.

It's said of TSP that it's a precursor to the masked avenger novels such as Zorro in addition to comic book characters such as Batman and Superman and any other dual identity hero. Again, I would go further and say it's a precursor, at least plotwise, to the historical romance genre as well.

In TSP, the hero hides the fact that he's a daring, strong, and intelligent masked avenger of the aristos being brutally slaughtered by Madam Guillotine during the French Revolution. And, if I hadn't known the secret identity of The Scarlet Pimpernel, the hero's nom de guerre, I wonder if I would have guessed his true identity right away?

But I don't want to give anything away for those who might chance to read this in the future and, unlike I, have not peaked at any commentaries (including "introductions" in certain editions) that give away the "big secret".

The book begins at a fast pace, telling us through other characters' observances, of recent Scarlet Pimpernel activities. I have to tell you, I ate up TSP's clever disguises and escapes and I chuckled right along with those laughing at the French mens' follies while trying to ensnare him.

We also get a glimpse of the bloody glee of the guillotine as it did it's job in front of mobs with nothing better to do than watch people go to their deaths. (This part didn't bother me in the least, as I've read several historicals of this time. It is truth, perhaps over-dramatized here for effect, but a truth none the less.)

The Pimpernel's job is to rescue people from their fate up on that bloody stage and he goes about his select business with daring intrigue and deception.

He's backed up by a league of 19 men who avow they are joining TSP in his endeavers for the thrill of the gamble, the sheer blood rushing ride of it all- that and the fact they are thumbing their nose at the French, which to British (and some of us Americans as well) is always a grand romp!

Perhaps it's true that these men got involved for these reason, but The Scarlet Pimp, I believe, is in it for much nobler reasons. Reasons I perhaps don't fully understand as a middle class American who has been bred to despise the exulting of one class above another. Still, reverse classism is never pretty either, and thus I can dug his motives.

The second character we find in prominent position is French expatriot Marguerite St. Just, now Lady Blakeney and the head of society in England. In time past, she aided the revolutionaries in France by sending one aristocratic family to their deaths. She now regrets the consequences of her actions- naïve and young at the time, she was simply revenging the brutal treatment of a most beloved brother by the hands of the upper class and never thought her actions through enough to see how it would end up.

It is these actions that have separated her form her upper class English husband and have made her ripe for the villain, Chauvelin, to use once again- this time in trapping The Scarlet Pimpernel.

(At this point, I fully understand her conflict. The device the villain uses to ensure her aid, is a good one. I would be just as torn as she!)

The plot moves quickly after this when she puts the evil Chauvelin onto the scent of The Pimpernel. It is during this time she uncovers his identity~ and I don't want to give anymore away, so you'll have to read it yourself to see how it all turns out!

I'm so glad took the time to finally read it!

God Save the King!
The Scarlet Pimpernel is a classic novel, though it is hard to categorize. It is part romance, part adventure, part spy thriller, and part superhero fiction. All of these elements went into the pot and the resulting stew is extremely entertaining.

The book follows the adventures of Sir Percy Blakeney as he seeks to help French aristocrats escape the guillotine during the French Revolution. Since official English policy forbids this, Blakeney adopts a masked identity as the Scarlet Pimpernel to remain anonymous. The French, of course, detest this interference in their affairs and set out to trap and kill the Pimpernel at all costs. As part of his effort to deflect suspicion from himself, he plays the fool in every day life and he does it well. His own wife considers him a useless fop... and that's where the story really gets interesting.

I won't give away more of the plot, but she ends up following him into danger in an attempt to save him. This allows the most suspenseful section of the book to be told from Mrs. Blakeney's perspective. Her terror for her husband's fate is pure and adds to the tension considerably. If we saw it through the Pimpernel's eyes, it would doubtless be far more composed and nowhere near as suspenseful.

In closing, The Scarlet Pimpernel is well worth buying. It's laugh out loud funny, suspenseful, romantic, and generally quite a page-turner.

"You surprise me, citoyenne"
This is a re-read for me, and one that I have to admit doesn't hold up nearly so well as an adult. Part of this is not the fault of the book as much as it is the fault of its many imitators. The foppish irresponsible aristocrat who is actually the super-competent avenger of justice has, in the meantime, been done-- done to death-- done again-- done some more. It lacks the kick that it had when I first read it so very long ago.

None of which makes it a bad book, not at all. It is still fun to read. Lots of romantic not-quite betrayal, love and derring-do. I don't think it's really a great book, that's all.

Orczy is worth a read simply for the influence that her work has had on other later authors. Don't expect too much, and you should be pleasantly surprised.

(Has anyone out there read any of the follow-up books to Pimpernel? Despite having loved this as a kid, I never read any of the other books with Sir Percy as the main character. Are they any good? Leave me a comment and let me know.)

Outstanding
This was such a great book that it has found itself on my re-reads for the October,the finest month. Margurite, Sir Percy, The Fishermans Rest, Dover, Calais, The Chat Gris...What a story. And That Demmed Ellusive Pimpernel. Once the book starts ,it does not stop. It rolls like a snowball. Being near the end of August now I am looking at the book on the shelf with greed. Buy it read it and savour it. ... Read more