Zofia Wasilewska, Stanisław Bendarzewski: Beauty and Physical Culture: A Guide for Women [1938]

Zofia Wasilewska, Stanisław Bendarzewski, *Beauty and Physical Culture: A Guide for Women*, Warsaw 1938

(Władysław Bąk Publishing House; Ms. Zoja [Zofia Wasilewska]: Cosmetics; Dr. Stanisław Bendarzewski: Hygiene)

“Beauty and Body Culture” is a prewar beauty and hygiene guide published in Warsaw in 1938 by Władysław Bąk Publishing House. It consists of two parts: “Cosmetics,” written by Zofia Wasilewska, credited on the title page as “Ms. Zoja,” and “Hygiene,” by Dr. Stanisław Bendarzewski. In the preface “From the Publisher,” Władysław Bąk writes that he entrusted the writing of the book to “Ms. Zofia Wasilewska, an outstanding specialist in the field of cosmetics, and Dr. Stanisław Bendarzewski, an experienced physician specializing in hygiene.”

The guide covers skin, dental, and hair care, bathing, exercise, staying in shape, and diet. It is richly illustrated with black-and-white photographs and drawings, including photographs of actresses (e.g., with the caption “Foto Paramount”). According to the colophon, the manuscript and proofreading were prepared by Prof. Alfons Kiełczewski, the drawings were created by Kazimierz Libin, the plates were produced by Zakłady Graficzne B. Wierzbicki & Co., and printed by the F. Wyszyński & Co. Printing House in Warsaw. It is a document of the social customs of the interwar period and a trace of the history of Polish cosmetics.

This copy underwent conservation treatment at the Antykwariat Polski workshop. The book block was mechanically cleaned, and the sections were re-sewn by hand, restoring the volume’s structural stability.

A leather-bound volume handcrafted from the finest materials by master artisans at the Antykwariat Polski bookbindery. Natural leather, with a marbled paper endpaper.

The mission of Antykwariat Polski is based on a simple belief: valuable Polish books deserve to survive. Not as exhibits behind glass, but as living objects—preserved, bound with the utmost artisanal care, and ready for centuries to come in a collector’s library.