Ekkehard: A Tale of the Tenth Century, by Joseph V. Von Scheffel (small HC, 1895, a 2 volume set, $10 for the two books, which is 1/3 of the internet price.)
Ekkehard, described as a historical romance, was published in 1857, the second major work of one of the best German writers of the 1800s, at least according to the writer of the biographical sketch at the book's beginning. Indeed, it was probably true at the time. Both of his novels, as well as his poetry were wildly popular at the time. By 1901 Ekkehard, alone, had gone through 179 editions.
Von Scheffel was an interesting man, of whom there is little to be found on the internet, but a lot to be found in the biographical sketch mentioned earlier. According to the internet the author was cursed with eye problems. According to the sketch, he had one heck of a lot of mental issues, which left him sometimes unable to write.
Look for these books in the fiction section.
