{"product_id":"the-last-king-of-poland-9781474615198","title":"The Last King of Poland","description":"\u003cp\u003eA superb study of one of the most important, romantic and dynamic figures of European history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A fine book ... the web of political intrigue unfolds like an appetising detective novel' \u003ci\u003eScotsman\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe last king of Poland owed his throne largely to his youthful romance with the future Catherine the Great of Russia. But Stanislaw Augustus was nobody's pawn. He was an ambitious, highly intelligent and complex character, a dashing figure in the finest eighteenth-century tradition. A great believer in art and education, he spent fortunes on cultural projects, and finding that he was blocked politically by Catherine, he put his energies into a programme of social and artistic regeneration. He transformed the mood of his country and brought it to a new phase of reform and independence. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePoland's neighbours, however, viewed this beacon of liberty in their midst with alarm, and as they invaded and partitioned it, Stanislaw saw the destruction of his life's work, and ultimately was forced to abdicate, a broken man, deceived and disillusioned.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e George Weidenfeld \u0026amp; Nicholson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/22\/2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781474615198\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 560","brand":"Adam Zamoyski","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40085149647029,"sku":"9781474615198","price":22.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_ee3f0f95-c8c0-4055-9dba-d8821039ffe8.jpg?v=1621899288","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-last-king-of-poland-9781474615198","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}