Felix Dahn is traditionally considered one of the chief representatives of the Professorenroman (archaeological novel), a subgenre of the historical novel that flourished briefly during the latter half of the nineteenth century. Unlike the American and British campus, college, or university novel (terms used synonymously), the Professorenroman derives its designation not from the college milieu, the place of action in college novels, but from the profession of its practitioners, who wrote fiction on topics based on their academic research and scholarly pursuits. Although frequently dismissed by critics as overly pedantic and lacking in imagination, Professorenromane generally proved popular with the German reading public. Ein Kampf um Rom (1876; translated as A Struggle for Rome, 1878), Dahn's major work, has been in print since its publication and has attracted readers ranging from teenagers of both sexes thirsting for adventure and heroic deeds to such eminent authors as Nobelist Gerhart Hauptmann and...