This monograph serves as an introduction to the art, architecture and literary culture of the Eastern Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 16th and 17th centuries. The geographical area under discussion comprises the regions of contemporary Lithuania, western Belarus and western Ukraine. The introduction of the Renaissance and Baroque classical revival into these lands is considered here within the political context of nationalistic and religious loyalties, as well as economic status and class. The central discussion focuses on the issue of national identity and religious loyalty in the inter-relation between the Byzantine inheritance of the Lithuanian and Ruthenian populace and the Polonizing Catholic influences entering from the west. A close study is made of the royal, noble and urban patronage of the richly-diverse visual and literary modes developed in these two centuries, as well as examining the cultural achievements of the many national groups in the Eastern Commonwealth, including Ruthenians, Lithuanians, Poles, Armenians, Jews, Karaite and Islamic Tatars. A major issue explored here is the problem of restoring and conserving the vast amount of devastated material culture in these regions, particularly in Belarus.

This book explores the history of art and architecture in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from the 18th century to the uprising against the Russian occupation of 1863-64. It serves to introduce the English-language reader to research produced by East European scholars. The geographical area under discussion consists of the modern nation states of Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine, which from 1772 were incorporated into the empires of Russia, Austria, and Prussia. One of the major questions raised is, what became of the old Commonwealth's artistic and cultural traditions under the rule of these alien powers? The book strives to do justice to the history of all the national groups involved, even though the region was heavily Polonised from the 16th century onwards. The art, architecture, and culture introduced from western Europe are analysed in their effects not only on Polish culture, but also on that of the Orthodox and Uniate Ruthenians (Ukrainians), on the Jewish settlement and on those of the Karaime and Islamic Tatars. An additional concern is the history, art and architecture of the Baltic Germans in the Latvian region. The book suggests a critical approach involving alternative models to those of nationalistic schools of art. It is geography that dictates the writing of history, rather than national identity.

The book deals with the relations between Polish and European culture from the 14th to the 20th century in the domains of fine arts, sculpture, architecture, music, drama and theatre. It features ten studies by Polish authors and provides a perfect factual introduction into history of art and culture in Europe.

A survey of Jesuit schools and universities across Europe from 1548 to 1773 by Paul F. Grendler. The article discusses organization, curriculum, pedagogy, enrollments, and relations with civil authorities with examples from France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and eastern Europe.

Drawing on rich source material in several languages and three scripts (Arabic, Cyrillic, and Latin), this book presents a broad picture of international relations in early modern Eastern Europe, at the crossing point of Genghisid, Islamic, Orthodox, and Latin traditions.

Vol. 4 covers the late Roman period to the rise of Islam. Focuses especially on the growth and development of rabbinic Judaism and of the major classical rabbinic sources such as the Mishnah, Jerusalem Talmud, Babylonian Talmud and various Midrashic collections.

This is not a book for architects, but for all those that have suffered, consciously and unconsciously, from modern architecture and have wondered how it came about. This was largely due to one man, an architect called Le Corbusier. For some he was a genius, but the truth is he was a sham, a fake, a charlatan whose only gift was for self-publicity. He was the most influential architect of the second half of the twentieth century; his influence overwhelmed the architectural profession on a global scale, who swallowed his publicity whole, and still hold him in awe. For the rest of the world, the mere mortals, his influence was disastrous, as traditional buildings were destroyed and replaced by featureless boxes of varying sizes, imposing a dreariness hitherto unimagined. As usual, it was the poor who suffered most as they were herded into tower-blocks. These were often grouped into estates that ringed many towns and cities, which then degenerated into high-rise slums with all the well-known attendant social problems. This book exposes the myths that surround Le Corbusier, detailing the endless failures of his proposals and his projects. These were due to his profound dishonesty, both as a person and as an architect. His legacy was an architectural profession that believed, and still believe, they were designing buildings based on logic, functionality and honesty whereas they were doing the opposite.