FREE delivery August 23 - 29. Details

In stock
Usually ships within 2 to 3 days.

$$24.83 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Payment

Secure transaction

Ships from

InfiniteBooks_USA

Sold by

InfiniteBooks_USA

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

Details

Payment

Secure transaction

We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more

Ships from

InfiniteBooks_USA

Sold by

InfiniteBooks_USA

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. You may receive a partial or no refund on used, damaged or materially different returns.

Read full return policy

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery Saturday, August 19 on orders shipped by Amazon over $25

Or fastest delivery Friday, August 18. Order within 16 hrs 21 mins

Select delivery location

Used: Good | Details

Sold by Booksabillions

Fulfilled by Amazon

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Other Sellers on Amazon

Added

Not added

$16.74
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: ---SuperBookDeals

Added

Not added

$25.46
& FREE Shipping. Details

Sold by: Amazon.com

Added

Not added

$21.62
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: RAREWAVES-IMPORTS

Flip to back Flip to front

See all 2 images

Follow the Author

Norman Davies

Heart of Europe: The Past in Poland's Present

by Norman Davies (Author)

4.5 93 ratings

See all formats and editions

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$24.83","priceAmount":24.83,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"24","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"83","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"vXXCcB%2FEAp5L0Cjlpt2KgWslH%2FZZVxn%2BMC9n6N5k86PddA9%2BQPgGV5AK%2FNi25K%2FaPH60Z5q0oNPJt84dlN8WRs5ZexawN7y2Md1rUJ5fUC%2BAJ53wvIkwp98y0%2FVM1%2Ba8y6T1UkRW3IN%2BGpDLmMeJpnjBdNijaHgWPvSApkyT6sHfRb7GPbXQGMJOoCSUDp0v","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$15.65","priceAmount":15.65,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"15","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"65","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"vXXCcB%2FEAp5L0Cjlpt2KgWslH%2FZZVxn%2BGnWi4jI0bx6y%2BeDaSkrRYUnr47uNVzTsBGkRlxRBlLgkvXzfIJy4xenVUfcxcp8J1DUG0rgrrkv0Mk8LyaXFeZuH7anTtgO4VupstftS1fjhv6cDZK3f%2FhULfU9ShW5V4FaUfOXmWRUjW5Xst%2FA9Kqq91qm%2FpgqP","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

The image of Poland has once again been impressed on European consciousness. Norman Davies provides a key to understanding the modern Polish crisis in this lucid and authoritative description of the nation's history. Beginning with the period since 1945, he travels back in time to highlight the long-term themes and traditions which have influenced present attitudes. His evocative account reveals Poland as the heart of Europe in more than the geographical sense. It is a country where Europe's ideological conflicts are played out in their most acute form: as recent events have emphasized, Poland's fate is of vital concern to European civilization as a whole. This revised and updated edition tackles and analyses the issues arising from the fall of the Eastern Bloc, and looks at Poland's future within a political climate of democracy and free market.

ISBN-10

0192801260
ISBN-13

978-0192801265
Publisher

Oxford University Press, U.S.A.
Publication date

August 23, 2001
Language

English
Dimensions

5 x 1.3 x 7.75 inches
Print length

520 pages
See all details

Frequently bought together

Heart of Europe: The Past in Poland's Present

$16.74

Get it Aug 28 - Sep 1

Usually ships within 5 to 6 days.

Ships from and sold by ---SuperBookDeals.

+

God's Playground: A History of Poland, Vol. 1: The Origins to 1795

$38.00

Get it as soon as Saturday, Aug 19

Only 12 left in stock (more on the way).

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

+

God's Playground: A History of Poland, Vol. 2: 1795 to the Present

$38.00

Get it as soon as Saturday, Aug 19

Only 10 left in stock (more on the way).

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

Total price:

To see our price, add these items to your cart.

Try again!

Details

Added to Cart

Some of these items ship sooner than the others.

Show details Hide details

Choose items to buy together.

Norman Davies
72
Paperback
29 offers from $27.85
Norman Davies
58
Paperback
28 offers from $25.69
Adam Zamoyski
605
Paperback
55 offers from $9.97
Norman Davies
618
Hardcover
99 offers from $3.84
Peter H. Wilson
66
Hardcover
54 offers from $24.60
Patrice M. Dabrowski
84
Paperback
29 offers from $20.48

Editorial Reviews

Review

"another masterpiece. Heart of Europe has sweep, a rare analytical depth and a courageous display of the author's personal convictions. The book begins and ends with Solidarity; the unique labour movement thus serves as a frame for the nation's history."--New York Times Book Review

About the Author

Norman Davies is chairman of the history department, School of Slavonic and East European Studies, at the University of London. He has been a visiting professor at Columbia and McGill Universities.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press, U.S.A. (August 23, 2001)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 520 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0192801260
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0192801265
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.7 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 1.3 x 7.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,311,439 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,164 in European History (Books)
- #34,167 in World History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.5 93 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

Important information

To report an issue with this product, click here.

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Norman Davies

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Norman Davies C. M. G., F. B. A. is Professor Emeritus of the University of London, a Supernumerary Fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford, and the author of several books on Polish and European history, including God's Playground, White Eagle, Red Star, The Isles, Europe, and Microcosm.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

93 global ratings

5 star
4 star
3 star
2 star
1 star

How customer reviews and ratings work

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Nakota

Fascinating

Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2023

Verified Purchase

Fascinating read, especially that except for the last chapter added much later, it was written in the 80's when Poland was still under Soviet rule.

POET: You can seek Poland throughout the whole wide world, young lady; and you’ ll never find her. GIRL: Perhaps searching is a waste of time. POET: Yet there is just one small space— Now, Jagusia, just place your hand Beneath your breast … A tam puka? (Is something beating there?) GIRL: A cóz za tako nauka? (What sort lesson is this?) Serce—! (That’s my heart!) POET: A to Polska wlaśnie (Exactly. That’s Poland).

Helpful

Fine Historical Argument

Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2006

Verified Purchase

In the preface to the first edition published in 1984, Norman Davies writes, "No history book which sets out to relate the past to the present is written at the right time." Davies For Davies, the time he chose was 1983 - a few years into Jaruzelski's military coup and what appeared to be a definite lull in the historical action. 1983, as it turns out was also on the cusp of the great changes that the fall of communism had in store for the world by the end of the 1980's.

This is also where the book begins and then proceeds in a reverse chronological fashion to cover 5 separate periods of history including first, the period of the People's Republic (1944-1983), second, the period encompassing World War II (1939-1947), third, World War I and the interwar period (1914-1939), fourth, history during the Partitions (1795-1918) and fifth, historic Poland (history prior to 1795).

Davies then returns to 1983 to demonstrate the "past in Poland's present" or as Davies more eloquently puts it, "Such is the burden of History in Polish consciousness, that any full appreciation of the Polish crisis requires a full examination of the way in which the chief actors on the political scene perceived their roles in relation to the nations traditions." The next chapter is (now) a misnomer entitled "Beyond History" in which Davies reflects on the state of affairs in 1983 and is looking forward to the not-to-distant future. This chapter was the last chapter of the First and Second Editions and, as it turned out, Davies did not have to wait long before the not-to-distant future arrived in 1989 in which the People's Republic melted away. This inspired a new chapter for the 3rd edition entitled "Liberation" and covers the period from 1983 to roughly 2000.

Davies' work has a two-fold purpose. The first purpose is to demonstrate that one who has recourse to history can more fully understand and appreciate the significance of present day events. That is not to say that the past predetermines the present, but it is to say the present loses its meaning and significance without its relation to the past.

The second purpose was to show that although much of Poland's past lies at the intersection of East and West (or to use Samuel Huntington's formulation, between the Western Civilization and the Orthodox Civilization), Poland's proper place is in the West and it was Davies' hope when he first published that Poland would move out of the Soviet orbit and back into the Western world. Those hopes were realized when Poland joined NATO and the EU.

Davies' work is not so much history as it is historical argument and, as such, is a fine historical argument. If one is looking for a more traditional history, I would recommend M.B. Biskupski's "The History of Poland" (short), or Adam Zamoyski's "The Polish Way" (medium) or Norman Davies' "God's Playground" (long).

44 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Outstanding work that seems pretty clearly to be an abridged version of his highly ...

Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2018

Verified Purchase

Outstanding work that seems pretty clearly to be an abridged version of his highly acclaimed “God’s Playground” history of Poland, but presented essentially in reverse chronology. I began this work having lived twice in Poland, and having a pastiche understanding of its history my mind created from a lot of exposure to primary sources and various redings over the years... I finished the work having a crystal clear, cogent and relatively deep understanding of contemporary Poland and how the roots of the nation state and culture all the way back to the original Piast dynasty genuinely do manifest themselves still. I would prefer the work to be more carefully referenced, though perhaps it is simply that I am used to APA style and need to explore the footnotes or end-notes as a separate project. The only criticism I have of the work is that at times it seemed very clearly tobe quite literally another work that was simply “presented backwards” - in a few spots it seemed that the bother and time was not even taken to rewrite proper transitions to reflect the new approach and presentation of a pre-existing text. However, this was really a minor detail when weighed against the fascinating, well-written history, which for me had just the right amount of detail [ I am not sure the extra 500 pages in “God’s Playground” would likely expand my understanding of the key principles of a fascinating history which this book presents so well].

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Glen Canyon Mike

One of the must reads for those interested in Poland and Eastern Europe.

Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2016

Verified Purchase

Norman Davies has written a number of books about Poland and Eastern Europe. His opus, God's Playground, is used in teaching history in Poland. This book is easier to manage and gives a glimpse of the terror that was laid onto Eastern Europe in general and Poland in particular by both the Nazis and the Soviets. Sometimes dry but always meaty, it is well worth the effort to read it cover to cover. But then I lived that era and had family murdered both by the Nazis and Soviets as well as sent to the Gulags.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Adam Lesniak

It's just bad book

Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2023

Verified Purchase

It's just lot of fantasy and weak. Facts about some fantasy, not about reality on the ground... And it's hard, slow, unpleasant to read.

Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2019

Verified Purchase

Poland's history is amazingly complex and unique. a must read. This book is highly regarded by Poles. Taught me a great deal in preparation for my trip to my grandparents' home country.

Helpful

Gene J.

Short History of Poland

Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2011

Verified Purchase

The book arrived in time and in very good condition indeed. I had borrowed a neighbors book, but found that the writer wrote in such an interesting fashion that I had to have a similar book for my library. It is full of detail, almost a reference book on the topic. It is a treasured part of my library. I am very pleased at the delivery and the book itself.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Poskarp

Insight into the history of Poland, but it is still history (Dry)

Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2014

Verified Purchase

Dr. Davies is a recongnized expert in the history of Poland, having written other books on the topic. While he does his best to make the excellent insight into how Poland has developed politically, it is still like reading a history book.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Slawomir Sobisz

Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada on July 21, 2018

Verified Purchase

Awesome Book.

One person found this helpful

Shona Scotland

interesting read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 10, 2023

Verified Purchase

bought this book as a gift for my grandson he was interested in his Polish Gt. Grandfathers Mother Country.

Jeremy Vevers

well written but back to front history.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 7, 2011

Verified Purchase

I am enjoying this book, still. But there is a frustration for me with this account. I can't see the advantage of a history that goes backwards. The author is so familiar with the material that it will probably not have occurred to him that the year 1795, a critical time in Polish history, needs a lot of explanation and context for someone who knows nothing about it. There is a lot on polish literature and I would have liked more on the early history. The quality of the maps needs revisiting by the publisher. But this is a good introduction to a complex subject and I would certainly recommend it and the order you read the chapters is entirely up to the reader.

7 people found this helpful

Piotr Azia

Another great book by Norman Davies

Reviewed in Spain on November 16, 2014

Verified Purchase

It's never easy to write about recent history, but Norman Davies does an admirable job. Information in Poland post-WWII was controlled by the communist régime on the one hand and a rabidly anti-communist émigré press on the other, so that finding the truth wasn't an easy matter and one ended up by believing the chosen side, rather than relying on objective information. Reading between the lines was an everyday skill and conspiracy theories were rife, jokes being more informative than official newspapers. Davies manages to provide a wealth of information about the period, without falling in the trap of blatantly taking sides - well done. I would recommend it to anybody interested in modern history and Poland - including Poles.

Doug

I have only had time to start this book but ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 17, 2014

Verified Purchase

I have only had time to start this book but already I am engrossed. Davies has a writing style that draws you in and informs you at the same time. I'm not sure if I'm up to his magnum opus on the same subject "God's Playground" but I am tempted.

2 people found this helpful

See more reviews

Buy new: $24.83$24.83 FREE delivery: Aug 23 - 29 Payment Secure transaction Ships from InfiniteBooks_USA Sold by InfiniteBooks_USA Returns Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

Buy used: $15.65

Other Sellers on Amazon

Follow the Author

Heart of Europe: The Past in Poland's Present

Purchase options and add-ons

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Product details

Videos

Important information

About the author

Norman Davies

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

Buy new:

$24.83

FREE delivery: Aug 23 - 29

Payment

Secure transaction

Ships from

InfiniteBooks_USA

Sold by

InfiniteBooks_USA

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

Buy used:

$15.65