To and From

Modern Poland: a journey through postal history

The collection of "postal history” - letters, postcards, covers, postmarks and postage stamps – was a long-standing hobby, but it possessed no focus until I realised that my collection might provide the basis for a published album illustrating modern Polish History throughout the postal era. I found ready partners in Janusz and Grazyna Rosikon of Rosikon Press, with whom I began the long task of ordering and describing hundreds of items and of filling the many gaps.

Our happy discovery was to find that numerous enthusiasts were well disposed to aiding our search, lending us rare items or permitting us to photocopy them. The Polish Postal Museum in Wrocław was specially obliging. The "king of postcards” in Kraków, Mr Marek Sosenko was particularly generous, as was a friend of the Rosikon's who offered us a truly amazing group of items collected by a Polish doctor during the Russo-Japanese War of 1905-6.

Polish History is complicated. It is characterised by frequent wars, invasions, occupations, changing frontiers and changing place names. By adopting strict chronological and geographical principles, we managed to cover the lot: every period, every regime, every territory. It is an achievement of which I am very proud, not least when Pan Kazimierz, my main supplier in Krakow's Hala Targowa expresses his approval. It is the rare sort of publication which takes the weight off Polish History. It makes, dear Reader, an ideal present.