The Polish Tradition by Paul Super - 1940

London, United Kingdom: George Allen & Unwin, 1940. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. 5.25" x 8.0. H/B 215 pages, condition is very good, minor edge wear to the DJ, which has been brice clipped. A gift inscription to the flyleaf. What is a typical Pole like, what are his characteristics, and to what tradition is he true when typically himself in his actions, sentiments, and points of view? These questions the author sets out to answer in this book. He takes the sixteenth century as his starting-point, when the Poles had developed their national culture, civilization, and character. Spiritually, the sixteenth century set the type, though history has developed it in some ways and modified it in others. The author's main task is the examination of the nature and functions of a national tradition - the Polish tradition - in its personal, social, cultural, political, military, and international aspects, its sources and relation to the culture of other nations. The author has resided in Poland for many years; he has had access to Latin and Polish sources denied to the visitor, and has been helped by his wife, a trained research worker and master of several languages. There is no other book of this kind in English, or even in Polish. It is not authoritative, but a brilliant interpretation and summary of Polish life and thought, ideals, and social values.