Benedykt CHMIELOWSKI, New Athens, or The Complete Academy of All Sciences,

New Athens, or the Academy of All Sciences,

comprising various disciplines, divided into classes—for the wise as a memorial, for fools as instruction, for politicians as practice, and for melancholics as entertainment. Established… Part Three, or Supplement… That is, X… Dean Rohatyński, Firleiowski, and Podkámieniecki’s Shepherd. (Vol. 3, 1st ed.). Lviv 1754. Printed by J. K. Mci Coll: Soc. Jesu. (21 x 18.5 cm), fol. [7], p. 703, fol. [4], woodcut vignettes, secondary parchment binding.
(Ex. Vol. 14). The first Polish encyclopedia by Benedykt Joachim Chmielowski of the Nałęcz coat of arms (1700–1763), a Catholic priest and canon of Kyiv. The complete work consists of four volumes, which were published between 1745 and 1756. Each volume forms a distinct whole, and their content comprises information from various fields. The work offered here is the first edition of the third volume; it primarily covers topics such as religion, theology, philosophy, demonology, miracles, relics, and beliefs and customs, serving as a valuable testament to the intellectual life and culture of the Saxon era. Benedikt Chmielowski’s work, once criticized by Enlightenment writers, is today recognized as one of the most important monuments of Old Polish literature and a primary source for research on the intellectual culture of the 18th-century Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Part III is much rarer as a standalone volume than the first two, and the complete set of all four parts of *Nowe Ateny* is among the most sought-after items among 18th-century Polish antiquarian books. Traces of moisture stains and browning; slight fraying on the first pages; fresh endpapers; contemporary binding. Good condition.