--- product_id: 8827249 title: "Poland: A History" price: "AED 123" currency: AED in_stock: true reviews_count: 12 url: https://www.desertcart.ae/products/8827249-poland-a-history store_origin: AE region: United Arab Emirates --- # Poland: A History **Price:** AED 123 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Poland: A History - **How much does it cost?** AED 123 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ae](https://www.desertcart.ae/products/8827249-poland-a-history) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Poland: A History [Zamoyski, Adam] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Poland: A History Review: informative and easy to read - Reads more like a novel than a nonfiction summary history. Highly recommend if you are looking for a surface level thousand year history of Poland. Especially for travel or simply expanding general knowledge. Gives equal overview for historical periods without focusing too much on World War II and the communist era. Review: A tormented and brave nation - This book’s author, while born and raised in the West, is a descendent of a very prominent family of Polish nobility. His account of Poland’s history comes from an objective mind, but also from a heart filled with the love and concern for the land of his forefathers. The Western reader, even with good knowledge of Europe’s turbulent history, will be overwhelmed by that people’s suffering and misfortunes and surprised by its accomplishments. That is so, because like other eastern countries Poland has always lived in the shadow of Western Europe and few foreign people knew its language or its story. Did you know that the University of Krakow, founded in 1364, was the second one north of the Alps after that of Prague? Or that Krakow operated the first printing press in 1472, just two decades after Gutenberg’s invention? Or that the Golden Age of the Renaissance opened in Poland around 1500 and lasted a century and a half? Or that the first newspaper was printed in 1661? Or that the age of the Reformation resulted in religious freedom and tolerance certified by law? Considering geniuses such as Copernicus, Chopin and Marie Curie, you would think the Poles should have marched side-by-side with Western Europe in the upsweep of modernity, but alas, that was not in the cards. Rather you might say, the Poles’ trail of tears, their long path of anguish, began in 1648 and persisted with few interruptions for three and a half centuries, i. e. until a decade or two ago. The epitome of such suffering should have been WW I, when they were forced to fight on both sides in a war that wasn’t theirs. However, even that was outdone by the murderous hell sent down upon them by Hitler and Stalin in WW II, and the 44 years of Soviet tyranny to follow. History decreed torture and on many countries, as we all know, but Poland stands out. Why was that so? In my view, the chief reason was geography. If it had been the Poles who transferred to England instead of the Angles and Saxons 1600 years ago, they would have created a magnificent empire and the lingua franca of today’s world would now be Polish, not English. Instead, they lived in the land of the Vistula surrounded by powerful enemies, east, west, north and south. During endless ages when history was written by brutal passion and the sword, they never had a chance. Z amoyski is cautious in predicting the Poles’ ability to master their future challenges. I am more optimistic. It is a land just barely recovered from a grave illness. It is free now and protected. Given a little more time, it may at last open up like a gorgeous flower and be the pride of Europe. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #158,008 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1,209 in European History (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (721) | | Dimensions | 7.25 x 1 x 8 inches | | Edition | Reprint | | ISBN-10 | 0781813018 | | ISBN-13 | 978-0781813013 | | Item Weight | 1 pounds | | Language | English | | Print length | 426 pages | | Publication date | September 1, 2012 | | Publisher | Hippocrene Books | ## Images ![Poland: A History - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81mqsCR+qJL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ informative and easy to read *by I***O on July 10, 2024* Reads more like a novel than a nonfiction summary history. Highly recommend if you are looking for a surface level thousand year history of Poland. Especially for travel or simply expanding general knowledge. Gives equal overview for historical periods without focusing too much on World War II and the communist era. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A tormented and brave nation *by H***S on September 17, 2015* This book’s author, while born and raised in the West, is a descendent of a very prominent family of Polish nobility. His account of Poland’s history comes from an objective mind, but also from a heart filled with the love and concern for the land of his forefathers. The Western reader, even with good knowledge of Europe’s turbulent history, will be overwhelmed by that people’s suffering and misfortunes and surprised by its accomplishments. That is so, because like other eastern countries Poland has always lived in the shadow of Western Europe and few foreign people knew its language or its story. Did you know that the University of Krakow, founded in 1364, was the second one north of the Alps after that of Prague? Or that Krakow operated the first printing press in 1472, just two decades after Gutenberg’s invention? Or that the Golden Age of the Renaissance opened in Poland around 1500 and lasted a century and a half? Or that the first newspaper was printed in 1661? Or that the age of the Reformation resulted in religious freedom and tolerance certified by law? Considering geniuses such as Copernicus, Chopin and Marie Curie, you would think the Poles should have marched side-by-side with Western Europe in the upsweep of modernity, but alas, that was not in the cards. Rather you might say, the Poles’ trail of tears, their long path of anguish, began in 1648 and persisted with few interruptions for three and a half centuries, i. e. until a decade or two ago. The epitome of such suffering should have been WW I, when they were forced to fight on both sides in a war that wasn’t theirs. However, even that was outdone by the murderous hell sent down upon them by Hitler and Stalin in WW II, and the 44 years of Soviet tyranny to follow. History decreed torture and on many countries, as we all know, but Poland stands out. Why was that so? In my view, the chief reason was geography. If it had been the Poles who transferred to England instead of the Angles and Saxons 1600 years ago, they would have created a magnificent empire and the lingua franca of today’s world would now be Polish, not English. Instead, they lived in the land of the Vistula surrounded by powerful enemies, east, west, north and south. During endless ages when history was written by brutal passion and the sword, they never had a chance. Z amoyski is cautious in predicting the Poles’ ability to master their future challenges. I am more optimistic. It is a land just barely recovered from a grave illness. It is free now and protected. Given a little more time, it may at last open up like a gorgeous flower and be the pride of Europe. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Well Done *by D***I on January 6, 2014* Zamoyski writes well and his book is filled with good information. The reader should not have difficulty with this very understandable text. Over one thousand years of complex Polish history, however, is compressed into a volume of just over 400 pages. Therefore, it is my belief the reader of this text should have some background in Polish history before picking up this brief. His original publication, The Polish Way, will fill in the necessary gaps for the reader. This book is like a jolt to the mind that restores information that has slipped from the memory banks over past years. Topics, such as, the Fragmentation Period, the Partition Period, and World War I, are very complex, but given one chapter each in coverage. In fact, his discussion of political parties evolving from the January Rising to independence caught me off guard. I can't even remember WWI being mentioned, although the disclosure of Pilsudski and his reaction to political dysfunction in the new Polish government finally jogged me into reality. This is a concise history. I look forward to reading Warsaw 1920, which might be a bit clearer than the Commander's (Pilsudski's) version, a translation I read in the early 80s. ## Frequently Bought Together - Poland: A History - God's Playground: A History of Poland, Vol. 1: The Origins to 1795 - God's Playground: A History of Poland, Vol. 2: 1795 to the Present --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.ae/products/8827249-poland-a-history](https://www.desertcart.ae/products/8827249-poland-a-history) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Arab Emirates* *Store origin: AE* *Last updated: 2026-05-14*