Product Description

Poland, strategically located in the geographical centre of Europe, became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation in March 1999. Poland and the United Kingdom are expected to be the strongest supporters of the policies of the United States within the NATO Alliance. Poland's remarkable quest for representative government, one of the oldest in modern Eurpoe, is presented against the backdrop of a millennium of history rich in cultural, political, and social events, including centuries of Poland's civilizing role in the expansive area between the Baltic and the Black seas. These topics -- complemented with Polish art, literature, music, architecture, and tradition -- are described by the author in this concise volume, which also includes 50 photos, illustrations, and maps.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1808991 in Books
• Published on: 2000-12-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 270 pages

About the Author
Iwo Cyprian Pogonowski

Customer Reviews

Awful
I don't like writing negative reviews but there is almost nothing good to be said for this.

It is clearly written by a Pole to paint an overly positive picture of Poland (I could find no mention of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, for example). This is a criticism often levelled at Norman Davies but, despite his Polonophilia, you always have the impression that you can trust his analyses. Here you do not.

A much more serious fault is that it references no sources and in fact has no bibliography which makes it look extremely amateurish.

The illustrations which it promotes in the title range from the satisfactory through the practically invisible to the completely useless.

It is apparent that it has been translated into English by a Pole (a much cheaper option than hiring a native English speaker) and the proofreader has missed a few mistakes here and there and not corrected style mistakes, such as the choice between 'the' or 'a' (a common mistake for Poles) which makes complex subjects that little bit more difficult to grasp.

The main reason not to buy this, however, is that it is absolutely unreadable--I challenge anyone to get past page 100. It's unlikely that any European country has a more colourful history than Poland and so it's sad that this book is so dull.