'… lucid, insightful, and often witty and pithy … the authors are especially good in their dispassionate treatment of sensitive political and social issues and challenges, particularly those that have dominated recent decades. These matters include Poland's place in Europe, the role of the Catholic Church, xenophobic and anti-Semitic traditions, and 'the lack of confidence in many of the state's institutions and in the rule of law, coupled with the low quality of much political debate' (as the authors write in the final chapter). Illustrations (two new ones in this edition), maps, ruler lists, and a good English-language bibliography enhance the volume. Recommended.' P. W. Knoll, Choice
List of illustrations and maps; Preface to the third edition; Preface to the second edition; Preface to the first edition; A note on Polish pronunciation; Chronology; Part I. Poland, to 1795: 1. Piast Poland, ?–1385; 2. Jagiellonian Poland, 1386–1572; 3. The Commonwealth of the two Nations, 1572–1795; Part II. Poland, after 1795: 4. Challenging the partitions, 1795–1864; 5. An era of transformation, 1864–1914; 6. Independence regained and lost, 1914–45; 7. Communism and the Cold War, 1945–89; 8. A new republic, 1989–; Geneaological charts of Polish rulers; List of heads of state, presidents, Communist Party leaders (1918–2018); Bibliography; Index.