Frederic William Farrar, the quintessence of stereotypical Victorianism, attained high prominence in diverse fields of endeavor. A schoolteacher for many years, a headmaster of a distinguished school, and a prolific writer on educational topics, he played a dominant role in introducing such subjects as science and modern literature into the classical curriculum of England's public schools, thereby helping to foster the modern humanist ideal. He was one of the age's most respected and beloved pulpit preachers, and his published sermons were read throughout the nation. As dean of Canterbury, England's premier deanery, he wrote widely influential theological works, in particular a best-selling life of Christ. Amid these manifold activities, Farrar also found time to write a series of best-selling novels of school and college life for juveniles, which were influential in rendering this literary genre one of the most popular in the latter part of the nineteenth century...