God's Playground A History of Poland. Volume 1 - Norman Davies - książka

"God's Playground" was initially envisioned in the early 1970s as a series of essays focusing on the history of Poland. At that time, I had recently begun my teaching career at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies in London, and I wanted to make my lectures more accessible. I developed some of my lecture material into essays, one on the Szlachta or Nobility and another on the Baltic Grain Trade, which I submitted as examples to the renowned literary publisher Chatto and Windus, located on Bedford Square. Fortunately, the proposal met with approval, and Christopher Maclehose became my editor.

However, creative differences soon surfaced. I believed that the essays could easily be expanded into a comprehensive overview of Poland's history spanning a millennium. In contrast, Mr. Maclehose was of the opinion that the essays needed to be condensed. Our collaboration came to an end following a decisive squash match victory by Mr. Maclehose, after which he insisted on reducing each page by 40 percent.