In early October, a very large and heavy package arrived at the PMC, bearing the Katalog Zbioru Kratograficznego Towarzystwa Historyczno-Literackiego Biblioteki Polskiej w Paryżu [Catalogue of Cartographic Holding of the Historical-Literary Society at the Polish Library in Paris]. Housed in a decorative sleeve, this beautiful clothbound edition features introductions from Kazimierz P. Zaleski, Director of the Polish Library in Paris and dr. Paweł Pietrzyk, Director of National Archives (NDAP) in Warsaw. These texts are followed by an informative essay on the history of this collection since 1839, the year the Library was founded, all the way to 2008 when work on the cataloguing and preserving this unique collection began and was followed by this publication.
This first volume (with the second being currently compiled) is organized in fourteen chapters that cover almost 600 pages. The first covers maps of continents; the second, maps of the Polish Republic. The third chapter presents Polish Crown territories by regions while the fourth chapter is devoted to maps of Lithuania. Chapter five has Poland’s former Baltic provinces, with the sixth devoted to states neighboring Poland. Chapter seven contains other European countries, and the remaining chapters display maps of various bodies of water, historical charts and maps of cities, battles, and war theatres. A geographical index of maps as well as an extensive index of mapmakers, publishers and printers and a bibliography further augment this excellent and truly unique publication.
Congratulations to the Polish Library in Paris and to the Polish National Archives, and many thanks for this truly regal gift! We are already waiting for the second volume of this exceptional and fascinating reference resource.
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