The Professor in Erin

A German scholar exploring ruins in Dungannon hits his head in a fall. He wakes to find himself in a parallel universe: an Ireland that never was, free of English rule since winning the Battle of Kinsale. In this powerful, independent nation, Irish language and culture are flourishing. As Professor Schliemann struggles to make sense of this unfamiliar world and to try to find his way home, he becomes entangled in political intrigue, espionage, and a long-standing feud over stolen vellums feeding dynastic tensions on the brink of war. Worse than that: no one in this version of Ireland has read his book. Originally serialised in the early twentieth century and first published in 1918, The Professor in Erin is a pioneering work of speculative fiction and an early example of the 'alternative history' novel. Much sought-after by science-fiction diehards, the book, like the ones fought over in the story, has been hard for modern readers to find, until now. Blending satire with nationalism and imaginative world-building, Charlotte Elizabeth McManus's novel offers a rich and witty vision of an alternative Ireland. This lost classic has been edited and introduced by Joachim Fischer with detailed historical context for new readers.