The need to document the history of art in Poland, and to provide a bibliographic record of, and access to, that documentation, is felt the more keenly because Poland’s cultural heritage has been so vulnerable to the ravages of history. The Polish Art Bibliography 1801-1944, a labour of love dating back to 1951, existed for many years as a constantly expanding card index at the Institute of Art of the Polish Academy; publication in a series of volumes began with Volume I Part 1 in 1975, and brought with it problems of editing and selection. Volumes II and III have followed; Volume IV, devoted to architecture, is in preparation.