Stanisław Wyspiański: *Achilleis*. Dramatic Scenes [1903]

Stanisław Wyspiański, *Achilleis: Dramatic Scenes*, Kraków 1903

(Published by the author; Jagiellonian University Press; sold at Gebethner Bookstore; first edition)

“Achilleis” is a play by Stanisław Wyspiański (1869–1907), a playwright, poet, and director who pioneered modern Polish theater. The play draws on Homer’s “Iliad” and consists of 26 scenes; its characters include Achilles, Agamemnon, Odysseus, Paris, Priam, Patroclus, Cassandra, and Andromache.

Wyspiański wrote *Achilleis* in 1903, mainly in Kraków, and partly in Rymanów and Venice. That same year, a bilingual edition of the *Iliad* featuring his illustrations was published based on his design. He published *Achilleis* at his own expense: the text was printed at the Jagiellonian University Press, and distribution was handled by Gebethner’s Bookstore. On the reverse side of the frontispiece, the author’s other works are listed along with their edition numbers, including *Wesele* (third edition) and *Warszawianka* (fourth edition). The world premiere did not take place until 1925.

A clean copy. It 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.