In World War II when the long night of German occupation of Poland was at its darkest, a delightful collection of Polish fairy tales, illustrated with handsome engravings by J. Sekalski, was published in Scotland, home of the Polish Armed Forces in exile. This book brings back, in a new gift edition, this fine collection of eleven classic fairy tales. In the original introduction the famous Polish writer Zygmunt Nowakowski sets the mood for this gathering of eleven fairy tales which "recall the ancient beautiful times, to laugh and to weep..."
"This is a very interesting assemblage of legends. Each of the little stories touches on some part of the history of Poland. Every story is complemented by a wood engraving made by J. Sekalski. The engravings give the book a charming Old World feeling. When I visited Poland several of these legends were mentioned in the brochures describing various landmark sites. This book offered me the opportunity to read the entire story in English
With the legends, the reader will learn:
1) Why the capital of ancient Poland was called Gniezno and the reason the eagle is the symbol;
2) About the downfall of wretched King Popiel;
3) How the city of Krakow was named and the evil dragon destroyed;
4) Why Queen Wanda threw herself in the Vistula River;
5) How the Piasts dynasty was started;
6) The story of Mieszko and how Poland became a Catholic country;
7) The legend of St. Adalbert;
8) The details of Emperor Otto's visit to Gniezno;
9) Why King Boleslaw and his Knights are just sleeping;
10) The story of two brothers who disobeyed the King;
11) and my personal favorite, the tale of the Trumpeter of Krakow and how, to this very day, he continues to inspire the people of Poland.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good and unusual story, and to all visitors to Poland. If you do have the opportunity to tour the city of Krakow, take a little walk on the wild side, and climb the tower of the Church of the Virgin Mary and stand at the very place where centuries ago, the Trumpeter played the famous hejnal. Yes, it's a long walk to the top, but well worth the effort."
Like New copy: nice clean hb in dj
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Welcome! I'm Mary aka Maryesterday, a gal who has lived as a vintage "time traveler" for over 20 years. The past? I'm there! In order to fuel my passion for all things vintage, forgotten, antique, mysterious, and mid-century modern, I've turned this into my full time business -- I support myself by sharing great finds and lost treasures I unearth in my real-life retro adventures. I'm here on eBay to share them with you.
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