The first print appeared in Krakow five hundred and fifty years ago. Everywhere Gutenberg’s successors appeared, this ushered in a new era in communication and contributed to numerous changes in education and public life. This part of Europe in which Poland is located also participated in similar processes as other countries of the continent. Yet, some remarkable phenomena emerged, reliant on political and religious determinants. Print appeared at the rise of political processes resulting in the formation of nobles’ democracy, furthered religious tolerance, owing to which Poland became “a country without stakes”, and led to the birth of “the golden age” of Polish culture.

The following book presents the history of the printed book in the first two hundred years of its presence in Poland. We are convinced that this will be inspiring for each and every one of us. We cherish a hope that in times of the dusk of “the Gutenberg’s galaxy”, as predicted by many, the fact of showing old books has sense, for it brings back the legacy of the old epochs in its richness and diversity.