by Adam Zamoyski
239 pp. 1995. English 9.5 x 6 x 1.1 inches. Photos.

From Publishers Weekly: Fleeing to Britain after the Germans captured their homeland, the pilots of the Polish Air Force played an important role in the Battle of Britain and the air war in the European theater. Flying RAF planes, they shot down 745 enemy aircraft, with another 175 unconfirmed, and 190 flying bombs targeted at London. The British government was at first reluctant to utilize these military refugees, Zamoyski notes in his recap of familiar history, until heavy RAF losses in the defense of France and the evacuation at Dunkirk left Fighter Command no choice. Zamoyski (The Polish Way) chronicles the pilots' exploits in the skies over Europe and their warm relationship on the ground with the British people-especially the women-until the betrayal of their homeland by the Allies at the 1945 Yalta Conference. The story concludes sadly with an account of the development of anti-Polish feelings in Britain at war's end.

“A moving reconstruction of the human side of these events … the volume is especially valuable in its tracing of individuals and families through the barbarous darkness of the 1940s.”—The New York Times

“Allen Paul has thoroughly researched the murders, but more important, he has laid bare the massive coverup of the murders and of the Soviet guilt—a coverup that appears to have involved Roosevelt and Churchill, as well as Stalin.”—The Boston Globe

“Paul marshals an impressive array of research gathered from unpublished documents, monographs and interviews to support his interpretations. The detailed personal experiences of three Polish families woven through the text transform what otherwise would be a standard historical narrative into a poignant testimony to the remarkable capacity of human beings to endure tyranny in its most inhumane form.”—The Washington Post

Twenty years ago, Allen Paul wrote the first post-communist account of one of the greatest but least-known tragedies of the 20th century: Stalin’s annihilation of Poland’s officer corps and massive deportation of so-called “bourgeoisie elements” to Siberia. Today, these brutal events are symbolized by one word, Katyń—a crime that still bitterly divides Poles and Russians. Paul’s richly updated account covers Russian attempts to recant their admission of guilt for the murders in Katyń Forest and includes recently translated documents from Russian military archives, eyewitness accounts of two perpetrators, and secret official minutes published here for the first time that confirm that U.S. government cover-up of the crime continued long after the war ended.

KATYN: STALIN’S MASSACRE AND THE TRIUMPH OF TRUTH
by Allen Paul
(2010) 430 pp., pb. 5 illus.
$24.95

THE POLISH AMERICANS
by Donna Lock
Full color photographs and illustrations; hc., 64 pp.
2008; 9” x 6”

Polish emigrants left their homeland for many of the same reasons as did other ethnic groups: poverty, religious intolerance, hardship, and a strict government. Yet in America's melting pot, the Polish have maintained a stronger hold on their traditions and customs than most of the other immigrant groups that arrived in North America during the 19th and early 20th centuries. This is due in part to the closeness of the ethnic Polish neighborhoods that grew up in the industrial cities where many immigrants settled. Today, prominent Polish-American associations work to ensure that people with Polish ancestry will never forget their proud heritage.

Part of the “Major American Immigration” Series
Reading level: Ages 9-12
$22.95

NIGHT OF FLAMES:
A Novel of World War Two
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: McBooks Press; illustrated edition edition
ISBN-10: 1590131665 ISBN-13: 978-1590131664
8.4 x 5.5 x 1 inches
$16.95

“The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.”

In 1939 the Germans invade Poland, setting off a rising storm of violence and destruction. For Anna and Jan Kopernik the loss is unimaginable. She is an assistant professor at a university in Krakow; he, an officer in the Polish cavalry. Separated by war, they must find their own way in a world where everything they ever knew is gone.

Through the long night of Nazi occupation, Anna, Jan, and ordinary people across Europe fight a covert war of sabotage and resistance against the overwhelming might of the German war machine. The struggle seems hopeless, but they are determined to take back what is theirs.

AN ALTAR OF SOD
By Regina A. McIntyre
304 pp., pb., 2001, 2010
Hats Off Books
$19.95

In 19th century Partitioned Poland, the village of Miscka sits almost unchanged on the banks of the Vistula. This is the story of three families who are unforgettably joined by love, pain, struggle and hope. Rich in tradition,the story builds to a far-reaching conclusion.

YESTERDAY’S PUPILS
Sequel to “Altar of Sod”
By Regina A. McIntyre
208 pp., pb., 2010
Create Space Books
$17.95

At the turn of the 20th Century, three families emigrate from the same village in Poland. The Victorian era provides the styles and mores that challange these immigrants to adjust to that culture, and at the same time try to maintain their Old World traditions and customs

Singing Games and Children’s Dances from Poland

Includes Music CD, sheet music and lyrics.

Collected and adapted by Maria Bielski
and Janina Dobkowski

The book contains lyrics (in both English and Polish) of ten popular singing games, and a vocal music score with chords. Clear step-by-step movement and dance instructions are outlined precisely with the text. In addition, a CD of the recorded songs with accompaniment is included, so that parents, grandparents, teachers, and children can immediately enjoy the songs and games. Each page has an original “wycinanki” (Polish cut-out style) illustration, designed by the artist, Joanna Bielska, which can be reproduced for coloring or craft projects.

The authors created this book as a resource for anyone interested in folk culture. They hope it will help to pass on Polish national traditions to children and grandchildren of Polish Americans who may not be fluent in Polish. Teachers, occupational therapists, ethnic dance directors, whether Polish or not, can use this book to enrich their classroom

TWO FRIENDS, THEY WENT A’DANCING
Maria Bielski and Janina Dobkowski
$20.00

TWO FRIENDS, THEY WENT A’DANCING COLORING BOOK
Maria Bielski and Janina Dobkowski
$4.00

NEW! Companion Coloring Book

A companion book, Two Friends, They Went A’ Dancing… Coloring Book is now available. Using these “wycinanki” icons, you can draw the story of each song, color the enlarged full page cut-out, or reproduce any of these icons for educational purposes. Some craft ideas are included.

Push Not the River
by James Conroyd Martin
St. Martin’s Press, 496 pp.pb
Maps & wycinanki illust.
Reading Group Guide
$15.95

AUTOGRAPHED! This book club favorite is based on the real diary of a Polish countess who lived through the rise and fall of the Third of May Constitution years, a time of great turmoil. Vivid, romantic, and thrillingly paced, the novel paints the emotional and memorable portrait of the metamorphosis of a nation—and of Anna. a proud and resilient young woman, and Jan, her soldier-husband. Critics have called the story Poland’s Gone with the Wind. “The story is well paced and compelling, the historical detail plentiful yet not overwhelming, and the characters engaging and true to the period.” ~~The Historical Novels Review. The author is the winner of the 2007 Gold Medal for Literature from The American Institute of Polish Culture. The best-selling Polish edition, Nie ponaglaj rzeki, should be available at Polish American bookstores.

Against a Crimson Sky
by James Conroyd Martin
St. Martin’s Press, 369 pp.pb.
Map & wycinanki illust.
Reading Group Guide
$15.95

AUTOGRAPHED! “You don’t have to read Push Not the River to get the most from this sequel,” says Suzanne Strempek Shea. The award-winning author picks up where Push Not the River leaves off, taking the characters 20 years into the fascinating Napoléonic era, highlighting the exploits of the glorious Polish lancers. Having narrowly escaped death amidst the chaos caused by the violent dissolution of their homeland, Anna and Jan struggle to raise a family in uncertain times. When Napoléon Bonaparte comes calling, hinting at independence one day for the country, Polish legions form up—Anna’s friends and family members among them—and accompany Napoléon as he battles his way across Europe in an effort that culminates in the doomed 1812 winter march to Moscow. “A sprawling epic . . . entertaining.” ~~ Publishers Weekly. The best-selling Polish edition, Pod purpurowym niebem, should be available at Polish American bookstores.  

The Finchley House Mystery
by Delores Gapanowicz
Nightengale Press, 2005
For Ages 9-12
132 pp.pb.
$13.95

Delores Gapanowicz is a published author of children’s books.

Is the Finchley House haunted or not? Are those ghosts flitting from room to room after dark? Or is someone secretly living in the old house and not wanting to reveal themselves? Could it be the rumors floating around Green Hills are actually true? No one dared to investigate until Paul and Tom decided to find out once and for all. The boys and their sisters dared to go up the hill toward the old old house and their adventure began — scary from the start.

THE FINCHLEY HOUSE MYSTERY
Delores Gapanowicz
$13.95

The Mayor’s Daughter
by Delores Gapanowicz
Edition illustrated
Nightengale Press, 2007
176 pp., pb.
$12.95

Readers will discover what life was like in rural Eastern Europe before World War I, a way of life that has changed forever. This book retrieves one family’s heritage and allows us all to connect with our own. Gapanowicz wrote “The Mayor’s Daughter” about her parents because she wanted the grandchildren in her family to have some idea of the life in Eastern Europe before her family emigrated. The stories were told to the author by her parents before they passed away. These tales show that young people on farms in Europe didn’t spend their time only milking cows and picking potatoes. They played tricks on friends, went to wedding celebrations and dances, and flirted with other people their age. They also experienced tragedy and loss. Their lives were a mixture of the sweet and bitter, not unlike the lives of people everywhere.

THE MAYOR’S DAUGHTER
Delores Gapanowicz
$12.95

“Best travel book series of the year.”
—Booklist
“An excellent series of brief histories.”
—The New York Times

Poland is a major European country with over 38 million inhabitants and a land area comparable to Spain. Throughout its long and diverse history it has been a meeting place of many cultures and has given the world the poetry of Czeslaw Milosz, the music of Chopin, and the scientific discoveries of Copernicus and Marie Curie. It has often played a major role in European history, but its subjugation by foreign powers through most the nineteenth and twentieth centuries has eclipsed its historical significance in the minds of many in Western Europe and the United States.

With A Traveller’s History of Poland, John Radzilowski takes an important step in rectifying this oversight. This comprehensive historical survey guides travellers through a general history of the people and places of Poland from pre-history to today. Radzilowski vividly describes the beginnings of the country, first fragmented and then reborn to overcome the aggression of the Teutonic Knights and greedy neighbors. Poland enjoyed a Golden Age in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, but a gradual decline and other historical events led to a loss of autonomy during much of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Since the horrors of the Second World War and decades of Soviet control, Poland has gradually regained its rightful place in Europe, joining NATO in 1989 and the European Union in 2004, and is now playing a new role on the European and international stage. With a historical gazetteer, chronology of major events, index, bibliography, and historical and contemporary maps, A Traveller’s History of Poland is an invaluable companion to students, armchair travelers, and visitors alike.

Radzilowski is the author or co-author of several books on Polish themes, including The Eagle and the Cross: A History of the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America. Published by Interlink Books part of Interlink’s Traveller’s History Series
Travel/History • 5”x 7” | 312 pages
b&w illustrations/maps
$14.95 paperback ($18.50 in Canada)

 A TRAVELLER’S HISTORY OF POLAND
 by John Radzilowski
$14.95

A perfect gift of heritage... The experience of late 19th Century immigration, as seen through the eyes of Paul and Jadwiga Adamik and what they went through to make America their new home.

Appropriate for all ages 12 and up.

Softcover
349 pp.

$19.95

Bilingual (English/Polish) cookbook containing over a 120 Polish recipes. Every recipe was tried in both countries, so it will definitely taste the best. With both USA and European measurements you can use it anywhere you go. In the book you will find sections with salads, soups, meats, seafood, desserts and pies. Only one recipe per page with full color dividers for individual sections, hardcover bounded by plastic spirals for ease of use while cooking. Two indexes for recipes - one in English and one in Polish will make it easy to find your favorite dish.

At the end of the book you will find (full color, in English language) very useful cooking info like:.

THOSE INTRIGUING THREES (and Their Offshoots)
by E.J. Kalinowski
$9.95
Self published / Kalski Books, 2009
166 pp., pb.

• Why are there so many threes in the Bible — both the Old and New Testament?
• Creation abounds in threes? Have you noticed the amount of triadic construction in nature?
• The basic DNA code groups in threes to form condons whether in a single cell organism or in an elephant.

The premise of this book is the prevalence of threes in our world and how apparent these triadic aspects are if one takes the time to observe them.

TEACHER, THY NAME IS SHEEP
by E.J. Kalinowski (NDP Edwardus Orzel)
$9.95
Self published / Kalski Books, 2004
132 pp., pb.

Why are American high school students so undisciplined? Read this book and judge for yourself. The author, a retired high school and junior high school teacher, first wrote his opinionated discourse in 1968, and updated it in 2004. Among his views are “Give me a Principal with Principles.” “It takes good parents, and good teachers, not a village, to raise good students,” “The care of the student scholastically requires caring for the student,” “TV is today’s mother, father, and teacher” among others.

MOTHER POWER AND JOKE POWER
by E.J. Kalinowski (NDP Peter Orzel)
$9.95
Self published / Kalski Books, 1998
142 pp., pb.

Mother Power is a compendium of psycho-biographical sketches on personalities in various fields: politics, military, medicine, theater, and religion, written in a pertinent, pithy manner pointing out how mother influence determined the success of the famous and infamous.

Joke Power stresses the deleterious effects jokes have in individuals and groups targeted for derision.

The author is a retired high school and junior high school teacher, who has penned numerous polemic observations in community and regional newspapers.