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The publication of the illustrations for Pan Tadeusz coming from the time of the poem's greatest popularity - the ones which influenced the way Mickiewicz's work was to be perceived by Polish society for long years to come - directed our interest to the literary periodicals of the late 19th and early 20th century. The literary press played a major role in shaping aesthetic tastes. There was a great variety of the latter, by the way, as could be seen from the wide range of the painting and graphic techniques employed. All of them, however, go together exceptionally well within the framework of this publication. As it appears, most of the works were done to accompany carefully chosen parts of the poem. This is why the editorial strategy of this booklet was that each graphic work should have its corresponding verses of the poem given in the form of a reproduction of the pages taken from the first edition. The verses are in a very broad context, sometimes, however, not given in full or suddenly left off, with the most appropriate place marked for the impatient reader. The general idea could not always be followed completely - sometimes the same parts of the poem had to be used for different illustrations. The book also contains an extremely informative note on how the poem was created, its reception and the importance of this masterpiece for the Polish culture. The cover of the album is decorated with maps which are a manifestation of a fanatic affection for the world of Pan Tadeusz.
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