DZIEDUSZYCKI - ZBIGNIEW OLEŚNICKI, published 1853–1854, vols. 1–2 [complete set]

[MAURYCY DZIEDUSZYCKI]

ZBIGNIEW OLEŚNICKI 

by the author of *Piotr Skarga and His Era*,

Vol. 1–2 [complete set]

Kraków 1853–54, published by the Catholic and Scientific Works Publishing House, printed by Czas, 402 pp., XVI,fold-out map “Poland by Zbigniew Oleśnicki”; 488, CIV; format 14x22 cm

Maurycy Ignacy Aleksander Dzieduszycki, pen name M.J.A. Rychcicki (born February 10, 1813, in Rychcice; died April 22, 1877, in Lviv) – Polish historian, writer, deputy curator of the Ossoliński National Institute in Lviv, member of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences.

He was the author of philosophical works, poetry, and prose. He was regarded as an amateur historian of great erudition who sought to provide a comprehensive overview of Polish history, although later historiography has noted the distinctly ideological nature of his writing and his interpretation of the past from a conservative-Catholic (ultramontane) perspective.

In his extensive work *Zbigniew Oleśnicki (1853–1854)*, he presented a comprehensive synthesis of 15th-century Polish history, focusing on the figure of the cardinal and his role within the political and ecclesiastical structures of the Jagiellonian monarchy. The author discusses in detail the mechanisms of power, Church–monarchy relations, and the role of the ecclesiastical elite in shaping the statehood of late medieval Poland. He also highlighted the Polish traditions of the Oświęcim region, challenging German historical interpretations and characterizing claims to these territories as lacking any basis in historical sources.

Dzieduszycki also devotes particular attention to the political and religious issues of the era, constructing a narrative firmly rooted in the Catholic tradition and in a vision of history as a process guided by enduring spiritual and institutional structures. From this perspective, the history of Poland appears as a civilizational continuity in which the Church serves as the foundation of social and political order.

The author was also interested in the history of the Catholic Church in Scandinavia, as well as the history of his own Dzieduszycki family, which was reflected in his broader scholarly and editorial work. Among other works, he compiled the *Map of Palestine* (1862) and participated in the preparation of the second edition of Samuel Bogumił Linde’s *Dictionary of the Polish Language*. His body of work remains an example of 19th-century Galician historiography, combining scholarly expertise in source materials with a distinct ideological profile.

The “Polish Biographical Dictionary” highlights his significance as the author of numerous historical and journalistic works, as well as his active role in Lviv’s academic community, where he served as deputy curator of the Ossolineum, making him one of the most important driving forces behind 19th-century Galician intellectual life.

A particularly important element of the first volume is the fold-out map “Zbigniew Oleśnicki’s Poland,” which is not merely an illustration but an integral part of the author’s argument. It presents a spatial depiction of 15th-century Poland as seen by Dzieduszycki, allowing for a better understanding of his approach to depicting borders, the balance of political power, and the significance of individual regions within the state structure of that time.

A rare find, complete and in a uniform binding!

MODERN FULL-LEATHER HARDCOVER. FLAT SPINE WITH DECORATIVE EMBOSSING AND SUBTLE GILDING; COVERS FEATURE DECORATIVE EMBOSSING AND A MODEST GILDED LINE. A BINDING STYLE RECALLING THE TASTEFUL BINDINGS OF THE ERA. END PAPERS AND PAGE EDGES HAND-MARBLED.

Condition: DB / partially worn owner’s markings, yellowed pages, STUNNING BINDING