A Traveller's History of Poland (Traveller's History Series) | 
 enlarge | Author: John Radzilowski
Publisher: Interlink Books
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
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Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 117733
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 302
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5 x 0.8
ISBN: 156656655X
Dewey Decimal Number: 943.8
EAN: 9781566566551
ASIN: 156656655X
Publication Date: January 30, 2007
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Product Description
Poland is a major European country with over 38 million inhabitants and a land area comparable to Spain. It has played a major role in European history but its subjugation by foreign powers in the nineteenth century and during the Cold War eclipsed Poland in the minds of many in Western Europe and the United States. Throughout its long and diverse history it has been a meeting place of many cultures and has given the world the poetry of Czeslaw Milosz, the music of Chopin, and the scientific discoveries of Copernicus and Marie Curie, to name but a few. In A Traveller's History of Poland, John Radzilowski vividly describes the beginnings of the country, first fragmented then reborn to overcome the aggression of the Teutonic Knights and its greedy neighbors. Poland enjoyed a Golden Age in the fifteen and sixteenth centuries but a gradual decline then led to Poland losing its autonomy despite winning many battles with its army's legendary military skill and gallantry. Yet the spirit of the country and its people lived on. Since the horrors of the Second World War and Soviet control, Poland has gradually regained its rightful place in Europe, joining NATO in 1999 and in May 2004, the EU. It is playing a new role on the European and international stage. This makes now an ideal time to introduce students and travellers to Poland and its complex history through the pages of this Traveller's History. The book includes a full chronology, a list of monarchs and rulers, a gazetteer, historical maps and is fully illustrated.
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| Customer Reviews:
Even if you're not traveling July 11, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Even if you're not traveling, you can travel in your armchair with this history. A great way to make your way through the fascinating story of Poland. Highly Recommended!
James Conroyd Martin, Author of PUSH NOT THE RIVER Push Not the River and AGAINST A CRIMSON SKY Against a Crimson Sky: A Novel
A highly readable, enlightening, even-handed and accessible account June 4, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Written by Poland history and culture expert John Radzilowski, A Traveler's History of Poland is a primer of Polish history written for anyone looking to better experience and understand the nation's culture and legacy during their visit. From Poland's origins, to the end of the Commonwealth, war, occupation, and the Holocaust, the all too often violent rule of Communism, the ascent of Polish pope John Paul II and the dawn of modern Polish independence, A Traveler's History of Poland succinctly surveys history and does not whitewash the sufferings and atrocities that all the different ethnicities of people in Poland have endured across the decades. A highly readable, enlightening, even-handed and accessible account ideal for readers of all backgrounds.
Visiting Poland? Read This Book. April 25, 2007
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
The history of Poland is complex and convoluted...An amazing story shaped by those inside and outside of Poland -- and those with Poland's best and worst interests at heart. Western Europeans and North Americans have, for the most part, received a disorganized story shaped partially by the real events, but one also framed by various conquerors, suitors, allies, enemies, the well-intentioned, and the truly evil at heart...with a little myth and pure B.S. thrown in for good measure. Many readers, for example, will discover that the events in and about Poland leading up to and through WWII did not really come about as we were taught in school. Centuries ago Poland set out down a path of more representative forms of government -- another historical context we typically don't hear about.
There is no way that a book of barely 300 pages can deliver a comprehensive study of (in the words of historian Norman Davies) "God's Playground". But this volume does a good job of providing historical context for both visitors and the geographically/politically curious. Author Radzilowski may seem to run through the centuries at a fast clip -- and at first I was wondering if his bullet point facts would end up being just a part of some historical list. But as you read along you come to the understanding that he is plotting out a trend line for you to follow. Maybe you can remember all the Polish monarchs and their external allies and foes...I'm not that good at names, dates, and battles. But you should be pleased to come away with a better formed generalized understanding of the country and its people.
I have been extremely fortunate the past few years to have "acquired" some wonderful Polish friends and colleagues. This has fueled my curiosity about Poland, and lead to my first trip there last year. I'm planning a second trip soon, and this book, along with several books on more contemporary Polish history and events, has been a real asset.
I give the book five stars not because it is the best history of Poland, but because it accomplishes precisely what it sets out to do.
In the back of the book there is a nice historical chronology, a listing of Polish rulers, a list of English language sources for Polish history, and a historical gazetteer.
The book ends on this note: "The Polish people have taken everything fate has to throw at them, including the worst crimes of fascism and communism, and have not succumbed. Though its position in the world is not certain, Poland is no longer a plaything of the great powers. Poles earned the right to govern themselves and make their own mistakes and at last to write their own history."
Enjoy!
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