Poland: A history

Description

A substantially revised and updated edition of the author's classic 1987 book, 'The Polish Way: A Thousand-Year History of the Poles and their Culture', which has been out of print since 2001. No nation's history has been so distorted as that of Poland. In 1797 Russia, Prussia and Austria divided the country up among themselves, expunging Poland's sovereignty from history, casting it as a backwater that needed civilising. But as Adam Zamoyski's thrilling history shows, the country they had wiped off the map had been one of Europe's largest and most varied in cultural and religious traditions, with one of the boldest constitutional experiments ever attempted. Its destruction initiated a series of struggles that culminated in the two world wars and the Cold War. Today, Poland has been restored to its rightful place as one of the most vigorous nations of Europe, and is perfectly captured in this full revision Adam Zamoyski's classic 'The Polish Way'.

Adam Zamoyski is a British historian of Polish origin. He is the author of the best-selling 1812: Napoleon's Fatal March on Moscow and its sequel Rites of Peace: The Fall of Napoleon and the Congress of Vienna, as well as several other acclaimed works on key figures and aspects of European history. His books have been translated into Russian, Chinese, Japanese and Persian as well as most of the European languages. His comprehensive history of Poland, The Polish Way, not only featured in the best-seller lists for several weeks when it came out in 1987, but has never been out of print since. Zamoyski has also contributed to all the major British papers and periodicals, as well as lecturing widely in England, Europe and the United States. He lives in London and Poland.

'Invaluable and eye-opening' Boyd Tonkin, Independent 'An excellent book' Financial Times 'Fresh, different and brilliantly readable...It is the perfect introduction for those who know nothing about the country, yet will also provide some positive food for thought to those who imagined they knew it all too well' Spectator 'A dramatic history of Poland that captures the spirit of its people...Such an extraordinary national trajectory demands an accessible and scholarly accounting. Zamoyski succeeds admirably in providing both' Daily Telegraph 'For the past 25 years, thanks to the efforts of Adam Zamoyski, we have been better informed about the history and character of Poland than about any other East European country...Zamoyski's new perspective on an old culture and its modern political liberty is...presented with a new, confident sense of freedom' The Times 'Eminently readable' TLS 'Shrewd...an excellent section on the country and its politics since '89' Independent on Sunday