Polish early printed books in the British Library collections, although small in number, include many rare items. The collection is also known by its Latin name Polonica, meaning written documents of Polish origin or related to Poland. So what constitutes a Polonicum in the BL collections?
                 
The criterion is based on geographical and linguistic principles. This means that the collection contains books in Polish published in any country and books in other languages published within the historical boundaries of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It should be emphasized that the frontiers kept changing over the centuries. This narrow approach excludes a large number of books by Polish authors whose works, written mainly in Latin, were published in Western Europe. However, the criteria established in the 19th century by the great Polish bibliographer and librarian Karol Estreicher, and used ever since in Polish bibliography allow for a broader practice.  Therefore works by such distinguished authors as Copernicus, Cromerus or Sarbievius are included in the Polonica collections by the Polish standards.

The strength of our collection is enhanced by the wide range of subjects covered from religious works, political tracts and legal documents to historical volumes, astronomical treatises, poetry and prose. It represents the intellectual life of the Polish-Lithuanian state and is an excellent source of information for researchers of that period.

The collection contains over 2000 items. The 16th century treasures include books by Mikolaj Rej, the “father of Polish literature”, the first Polish grammar by Piotr Stojenski-Statorius (1568), the first codification of law in the Kingdom of Poland (1506) and the first printed history of Poland (1521). The richness of the collection also lies in the variety of early Polish Bibles.

Zwierciadlo (Kraków, 1567-8;  C.125.e.20) by Rej is a work written partly in prose and partly in verse in a vividly colloquial language. It reflects the author’s view on the mentality and behaviour of the Polish gentry of that century (see two images below). A full set of images of this work are available here.  

Commune Incliti Poloniae regni… (Kraków, 1506; C.107.g.14) is known as Łaski’s Statues. Łaski, Chancellor and Primate of Poland, was asked by the Sejm (Polish Parliament) to bring together all the legislation up to that time. The Statues remained in force until the last partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795.

Commune Incliti Poloniae regni… (Kraków, 1506; C.107.g.14)

The most notable among the bibles is the Radziwiłł Bible (Brest-Litovsk, 1563; C.11.d.6). It is the first complete Protestant Bible translated into Polish and represents some of the best usage of the Polish language at the time (see three images below). This copy was once a treasured possession of Bishop Józef Załuski, co-founder of the first Polish national library (1747), plundered by the Russians in 1795. It bears his signature and was marked by him with six stars as rarissimus. 

Hippica by Krzysztof Dorohostajski (Kraków, 1603; C.185.b.1) is one of the finest books of the 17th century collection. This handbook on horse-breeding and horse-training was very popular among the Polish aristocracy and gentry, who were great lovers of horses (images below).

 
Among the 18th century items the most remarkable is the first modern constitution in Europe and one of the world’s greatest documents of freedom Ustawa rządowa (‘Government Act’; Warsaw, 1791; Cup.403.l.8) enacted on 3 May 1791 (see picture below). Images are available here. 

Magda  Szkuta, Curator Polish Studies