One of the most prolific authors in an age of highly productive writers, Eberhard Werner Happel was a polyhistor who tried to include the full spectrum of contemporary knowledge in his fiction and nonfiction writings. He was born on 12 August 1647 in Kirchhain, Hesse. His father, Martin Happel, was a Lutheran pastor; his mother was the daughter of the mayor. Shortly after Happel's birth, his father became a church administrator in Halsdorf. Happel was an active child who was not appreciated by the tutor of the noble family that allowed him to study together with their own children; therefore, his parents sent him to school in Rauschenberg, where his maternal grandfather was Schultheiß (village mayor). In spite of his obvious capabilities, he detested school and preferred to spend his time with shepherds and farmers. From 1655 to 1657 he attended a university preparatory program in Marburg, then was sent to...