Product 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. When Adam Zamoyski first wrote his history of Poland, in the 1980s, the country was in a state of subjugation, its living culture largely surviving only underground or in exile. Although the election of Karol Wojty?a as Pope John Paul II and the dramatic rise of Solidarno?? had brought Poland into the world's consciousness, it was not until the collapse of the Soviet empire in 1989 that it returned to life as a political entity. No nation's history has been so distorted as that of Poland. In 1797 Russia, Prussia and Austria divided the country up among themselves, rewriting history to give the impression that Poland had never been a fully sovereign state, only a backwater that needed civilising. In fact the country they had wiped off the map had been one of the largest and most richly varied in Europe, embracing a wide variety of cultural and religious traditions, accommodated within 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, after the turmoil of the past two centuries, Poland has been restored to its rightful place as one of the most homogeneous and vigorous nations of Europe. Adam Zamoyski's full revision of his classic history is perfectly timed.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15168 in Books
• Published on: 2009-03-19
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

Review
Praise for '1812: Napoleon's Fatal March on Moscow': 'So brilliant that it is impossible to put the book aside...a master craftsman at work' Michael Burleigh, Sunday Times 'A brilliant piece of narrative history, full of sparkling set-pieces' T.J. Binyon, Sunday Telegraph 'One of the greatest stories ever told' Spectator Praise for 'Rites of Peace: The Fall of Napoleon and the Congress of Vienna' 'Outstanding - a delicious, triumphant feast of a book' Simon Sebag Montefiore, Daily Mail 'Magnificent...both an intellectual and literary joy to read' The Times

About the Author
Adam Zamoyski was born in New York, was educated at Oxford, and lives in London. A full-time writer, he has written biographies of 'Chopin' (Collins 1979), 'Paderewski', and 'The Last King of Poland','1812: Napoleon's Fatal March on Moscow', which was a Sunday Times bestseller and 'Rites of Peace: The Fall of Napoleon and the Congress of Vienna'. He is married to the painter Emma Sergeant.

Customer Reviews

Zamoyski scores again
This is money well spent. Zamoyski at his best. Polish history is complicated, especially for the Anglo reader. One cannot do better than choose ANY of Zamoyski's books to get at the heart of the subject. His writing style , clear, concise, and always with a bit of humor, takes the reader on an enlightening and entertaining journey through history. What's more, each tome is a great reference. As a free lance writer, I usually return to Zamoyski for brief quotes that add clarity and color to my articles He's the best in his fields of expertise.

Peter
Amazon state that this is a paperback book. I purchased my copy from Amazon and the book I received was a hardcover book. To date, Amazon have rejected my request that this book should be described as a hardcover book and not a paperback book. I have not read this book yet but it has received very favourable reviews in the newspapers.