He therefore redoubled his efforts to make his projected work on the French Revolution the best of which he was capable. Accordingly, he worked zealously and carefully. In November, 1790, the Reflections was published. The original edition, costing five shillings, was quickly exhausted, and within a year ten more editions appeared.

The reaction was amazing. The apathy, the amused indifference, and the positive approval with which the majority of Englishmen had previously viewed the French Revolution gave way to a new feeling of deep concern and an awakening to the potential danger. Burke's old enemy, the king, called the Reflections a very good book and recommended that every gentleman should read it. It also made a deep impression on the ruling classes throughout Europe, and a French translation was made by Louis XVI himself.