The Polish American Encyclopedia

At least nine million Americans trace their roots to Poland, and Polish Americans have contributed greatly to American history and society. During the largest period of immigration to the United States, between 1870 and 1920, more Poles came to the United States than any other national group except Italians. Additional large-scale Polish migration occurred in the wake of World War II and during the period of Solidarity’s rise to prominence.

This encyclopedia features three types of entries: thematic essays, topical entries, and biographical profiles. The essays synthesize existing work to provide interpretations of, and insight into, important aspects of the Polish American experience. The topical entries discuss in detail specific places, events or organizations such as the Polish National Alliance, Polish American Saturday Schools, and the Latimer Massacre, among others. The biographical entries identify Polish Americans who have made significant contributions at the regional or national level either to the history and culture of the United States, or to the development of American Polonia.

James S. Pula is a professor emeritus of history at Purdue University Northwest. The author of numerous books, his work has been recognized with honorary membership in the Iron Brigade Society, three Oskar Halecki Prizes, the Gambrinus Prize in History, the U.S. Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Award, and the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, among others.

Edited by James S. Pula
Format: softcover (8.5 x 11)
Pages: 595
Bibliographic Info: 358 photos, index
Copyright Date: 2022 [2011]
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9141-1
eISBN: 978-0-7864-6222-3
Imprint: McFarland

Authors of Individual Entries      vi
Acknowledgments      ix
Preface      1
How to Use This Encyclopedia      3
Polish Pronunciation Guide      3

THE ENCYCLOPEDIA      5

Index      569

• ALA Outstanding Reference Source
• “Long awaited…this work is a landmark in reference and ethnic studies…impressive. If a public or an academic library needs only one reference work on Polish Americans, this is the resource. Essential”—Choice
• “Bold-faced cross-references in each entry…readers will find the frequency of illustrative photographs helpful…vital to understanding the intricacies of historical and contemporary Polonia”—Library Journal
• “With the appearance of this splendid reference work…readers have available to them, for the first time, a scholarly and comprehensive encyclopedia devoted to Polish American history and culture. It is so successful and valuable that one wonders how the field could have done without something like it until now…impressive…excellent…it will stand as an essential resource in the field for years to come”—The Polish Review
• “A useful compendium of information”—C&RL News
• “This is the first comprehensive reference source on Polish Immigrants’ contributions to American history…it provides welcome insights into long-neglected aspects of Polish life in America…highly recommended”—ARBA
• “As one of the best general references devoted to the biographies and contributions of Polish Americans…admirably fulfils its aim to fill the gap…excellent…The range of topics covered in this single-volume reference work is impressive”—Reference Reviews
• “Impressive…recommended”—Catholic Library World.