Mowy wybrane o madrosci (Selected Speeches on Wisdom), by Stanislaw ze Skarbimierza (Stanislaus de Skarbimiria, Sermones de sapientia selectae). Edited by Miroslaw Korolko. Kraków. Arcana Publishing House (ul. Dunajewskiego 6, Kraków). 1997. ISBN 83-86225-56-4. 269 pages. Hardcover. In Polish and Latin.
This bilingual collection of speeches/sermons on just and unjust wars, godly and ungodly wisdom, justice and its relation to the wisdom of God throws light on the intellectual atmosphere in fifteenth-century Poland, and how the subsequent generations failed to appreciate and promote their medieval and Renaissance heritage. Stanislaw from Skarbimierz (1360-1431) was Rector of Jagiellonian University and co-author (with Pawe Wodkovic) of the argument in favor of the rights of nations presented at the Council of Constance in 1414. His philosophical and theological speeches are commentaries on the Book of Wisdom; shockingly, they had never before been published.

Kresy, Syberia, literatura: doswiadczenia dialogu i uniwersalizmu (the borderlands, Siberia, and literature: what a community of discourse and a dialogue tell us about them), edited by Eugeniusz Czaplejewicz and Edward Kasperski. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo TRIO (Nowy Âwiat 18/20, Warszawa). 1995. 252 pages. Index. Paper. Zl. 15.00. In Polish.
A collection of papers by various authors, mainly those associated with the Teachers' College in Pultusk. The papers examine various aspects of Polish exile literature and Polish borderlands, relating them to the struggle for independence which so affected gentry life in partitioned Poland. This scholarly book reads well; the subjects discussed range from studies of exiled Polish scholars such as Jan Badouin de Courtenay to the Polish Hassidic movement.

Kultura i jej krag (Kultura and its circle), edited by Grazyna and Krzysztof Pomian. Lublin. Maria Curie-Sklodowska University Press. 1995. 203 pages. Numerous illustrations. Index. Paper. In Polish.
A scrapbook centered around Jerzy Giedroyc and the monthly Kultura which he co-founded and edited for over forty years. It contains an index of Kultura authors from 1947 to 1986. We were pleased to note that the Sarmatian Review contributor, Sally Boss, has published numerous articles in Kultura. The fans of Kultura and there are many among the Polish intelligentsia will treasure this book which provides a glimpse of daily labors and successes of the editor and his sympathizers.

Nowy imperializm, czyli o tzw. edukacji seksualnej (the new imperialism, or about the so-called sexual education), by Marek Czachorowski. Second printing. Warsaw. Inicjatywa Wydawnicza "ad astra" (P.O. Box 86, 00-963 Warszawa, tel/fax 625-1028). 1997. 210 pages. Paper. Zl. 16.00. In Polish.
A readable book about the sexual revolution which in Poland was delayed by the hardships of communism. A father of three children, Czachorowski (b. 1956) is professor of philosophy at the Catholic University of Lublin and a deputy chair of the Lublin chapter of the Society for Responsible Parenthood.
The book contains an exceptionally eloquent defense of human sexuality and a persuasive argument against pornography. It condemns the sexual revolution, arguing that in second- and third-world countries, it has becomes a tool of neocolonialism. The International Planned Parenthood Federation, the World Bank, the United Nations and the World Health Organization have occasionally engaged in what the author calls cultural imperialism, or forcing the poor countries to promote abortion. The horror of China's 'one child policy' has been repeated in other countries, he says, but the publicity is lacking. A very strong book that should be of interest to parents and prospective parents, as well as to those involved with public policy.

Unabridged Polish-English Dictionary, by Iwo Cyprian Pogonowski. 3 vols. New York. Hippocrene Books (171 Madison Avenue, NY, NY 10016). 1997. Graphs, appendices. xLvi + 3,963 pages. Hardcover. $200.00.
This is the largest Polish-English dictionary ever compiled, providing English translations of some 200,000 Polish words (if nothing else, it demonstrates that Joyce's Ulysses could have been composed in Polish). In addition to a painstaking translation of the Polish vocabulary, Pogonowski provides translations of geographical and personal names, a table of weights and measures, and a number of other appendices, as well as a phonetic guide to Polish pronunciation. Unquestionably, an important work.
We have noticed some typos and misspellings in the Dictionary, as could be expected from the first edition of so massive a work prepared virtually single-handedly. Pogonowski is a truly remarkable American of Polish background, a genuine role model who combines Benedictine devotion to work, fidelity to the best ideals of Polish history, and an ability to achieve some success in American public life. A recipient of a recent Polish American Prize, Pogonowski is one of those 'bright points of light' which every ethnic community has to have to remain viable and to justify its existence in a broader spectrum of American society.

Awantura o Basie (much ado about Basia), by Kornel Makuszynski. Illustrations by Wladyslaw Radziwilowicz. Pozna. Oficyna Wydawnicza GMP (60-623 Poznan, ul. Mazowiecka 59, tel/fax 471-800 or 471-801). 158 pages. Paper. Zl. 8.70. In Polish.
This delightful story for teenagers has been a favorite of Polish children for generations. Originally published in 1937, it is a fairy tale about a small girl lost at a railway station. The book is guaranteed to raise the spirits of both the young and the old. A good paperback to use in the Polish-language schools in the United States.

The First Easter Bunny, by Fr. Richard P. Lewandowski. Illustrated by Anne Schaper Englot. Worcester, MA. Brent Anderson Publishers (25 Darnell Road, Worcester, MA 01606, tel. 508-342-0291). 1995. Second printing in 1996. 20 pages. Softcover. $4.95 plus $1.00 for shipping and handling.
A delightful children's story about a bunny who follows Jesus through the events of the Holy Week and is the first living creature to witness the Risen Jesus. Jesus then bestows upon him the honor of bringing special treats to children on Easter Sunday. A remarkable attempt to redirect the tide of de-Christianization of Christian holidays such as Easter or Christmas, back to the spiritual origins of these holidays. A successful attempt to appropriate secular symbols such as the bunny rabbits and eggs for Christian symbolism.

Other Books Received:

The Polish Coal Miners' Union and the German Labor Movement in the Ruhr, 1902-1934: National and Social Solidarity, by John J. Kulczycki. New York-Oxford. Berg Publishers (70 Washington Square South, NY, NY 10012). 1997. xv + 283 pages. Maps, index, bibliography. Hardcover. $46.00.
A scholarly study of the Polish labor movement in the immigrant areas of the German Ruhr. A review to follow.

The Burzynski Breakthrough and the Government's Campaign to Squelch It, by Thomas D. Elias. Los Angeles. General Publishing Group (2701 Ocean Park Blvd., Suite 140, Santa Monica, CA 90405). 1997. 286 pages. Index. Hardcover. $22.95.
The story of a Polish cancer researcher's struggle to persuade the American medical establishment of the validity of his discoveries. The author, a California journalist and Pulitzer Prize nominee, hints at the financial interests involved in opposing Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski's pioneering contribution to cancer treatment.

Józef Brandt, by Irena Olchowska-Schmidt. Kraków. Ryszard Kluszczynski Publishers (30-110 Kraków, ul. Kraszewskiego 36, tel/fax 21-22-28). 1996. 79 pages. Hardcover. In Polish.
An album of reproductions (the originals are mostly in Polish museums) of a nineteenth-century Polish painter who specialized in the painting of horses and in country scenes. Excellent paper and a professional commentary. A coffee-table book.

Ziemia przemyska, by Tadeusz Budzinski. Texts by Tomasz Jurasz. Olszanica. Wydawnictwo Bosz S.C. (38-622 Olszanica 311, fax 0-1376-62-94) 1995. Texts in Polish, English, and German.
A book of photographs, on excellent paper, of areas near Przemysl in southeastern Poland. These are lands of breathtaking beauty, a paradise for vacationers, well worth visiting. The book also contains photographs of local churches (some of them Uniate) and palaces, many of them built in the seventeenth century.

Polish Love: Short Stories in Polish and English, translated and edited by Miroslaw Lipinski. New York. Hippocrene Books. 1997. 109 pages. Hardcover.
This little collection contains love stories by Karol Irzykowski, Henryk Sienkiewicz, Tadeusz Rittner, Zofia Nakowska, Stanislaw Dygat and Halina Poswiatowska. Decidedly middlebrow.

A Treasury of Polish Aphorisms (Bilingual). Compiled and translated by Jacek Galazka. Introduction by Jerzy R. Krzyzanowski. Cornwall Bridge, CT. Polish Heritage Publications (75 Warren Hill Road, Cornwall Bridge, CT 06754). 1997. 139 pages. Illustration. Hardcover.
We would have argued about the selections, but 'darowanemu koniowi nie zaglada sie w zeby.'

The 1998 Polish Heritage Art Calendar. Preface by Professor Jerzy Malinowski, captions by Janusz Walek, Curator of European Art in Kraków's Czartoryski Musem. New York. Hippocrene Books (171 Madison Avenue, NY, NY 10016, or http://www.netcom.com/~hippocre). 1997.
The topic of this year's Calendar is the city of Wilno (Vilnius) and the Polish artists associated with that city.

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