BIEGELEISEN H. - Illustrated history of Polish literature. T. 1-5. 1898-1908.

BIEGELEISEN Henryk - Illustrated history of Polish literature. Vol. 1-5. Vienna [1898-1908]. F. Bondy. 4, s. [4], 394; [4], 395, [1]; [4], 363, [1]; [4], 396; [4], 389, [3]. Original fawn ornament.
Minor rubbing of spine edges, minor staining in vol. 2, good condition. Owner's signatures. In each volume numerous plates and illustrations in the text: likenesses of manuscripts, title pages, old engravings, portraits. Covers the time from the beginnings of writing to the twilight of Romanticism. A monumental work by the Lviv-based literary historian and ethnographer. Biegeleisen "undertook here an effort beyond the strength of an individual, especially in the state of research at the time, for he intended to give a complete history of Polish writing, and to some extent of culture, treating literature as one of its branches. Using, of necessity, the results of other people's inquiries, he gathered enormous material" (PSB).