The Scarlet Pimpernel stories in historical sequence. Taking into account occasional discrepancies in the dates of events (real and fictional) referred to in the stories, the following is an approximate chronological listing of Orczy's Scarlet Pimpernel novels and short stories: Hollywood took to the Pimpernel early and often, although most of the Pimpernel movies have been based on a melange of the original book and another Orczy novel, "Eldorado". The most well-known of the Pimpernel movies is the 1934 "The Scarlet Pimpernel" starring Leslie Howard, which is considered the definitive adaptation by some. The novel has been parodied or used as source material
The Scarlet Pimpernel told in "American Pimpernel: The Man Who Saved the Artists on Hitler's Death List". Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty was an Irish priest who saved thousands of people, British and American servicemen and Jews, during World War II while in the Vatican in Rome. His story is told in two books and a film: Harald Edelstam (1913–1989) was a Swedish diplomat. During World War II, he earned the nickname "Svarta nejlikan" ("the Black Pimpernel") for helping Norwegian resistance fighters in escape from the Germans. Stationed in Chile in the 1970s, he arranged for the escape of numerous refugees from the military junta