Design by Wladyslaw Pluta

The title of this book is a play on the Polish word for republic, rzeczpospolita.  It is a very meaningful word to Poles, capturing an ideal long cherished during periods of lost independence in past centuries - and ideal which became achievable after the end of the Peoples "Republic" of Poland.  The authors have divided the word into its components rzeczy and pospolita, which translate as "things" and "common."  The closest English approximation to this set of meanings is "commonwealth," "common" and "wealth."

This album presents the history of Polish design in the 20th century.  The 120 products gathered here - glass, ceramics, textiles, metal products, household articles, sporting goods, photographic equipment, radios and televisions, means of transportation - were made over the last hundred years.  All items are accompanied with commentary written by remarkable subject matter experts.  This collection was the center of an exhibition at the National Museum in Warsaw from Dec 2000- Jan 2001.