Działalność „Naszej Księgarni” w czasie drugiej wojny światowej

Abstract

[Activity of the “Nasza Księgarnia” publishing house during the World War II]

Capturing Warsaw by the Nazis at the end of September 1939 considerably limited and forced a significant modification of the activities of the ”Nasza Księgarnia” publishing house. The publisher had to function in completely different, obviously disadvantageous conditions. The company’s official activity consisted chiefly in running a book and stationary store. Its clandestine activity, however, was selling the banned school textbooks e.g. in Polish, history, or geography, as well as publishing the banned titles. A common strategy was dating the books with an earlier date, and printing “Lviv” or “Vilnius” as the place of publishing. This effectively prevented the occupant authorities from verifying the falsified data. Since the  company obtained unregistered income from the illegally distributed books, it was in the position to support financially the authors and illustrators who co-operated with the publisher before the war. Despite many dangers and great organizational obstacles, “Nasza Księgarnia” did not cease to function during the WWII, and constituted an essential link in the Polish resistance. The company’s close connections with the Clandestine Teaching Organization and numerous cooperatives allowed it to conduct multidirectional struggle on an impressive scale, to spread the national spirit by publishing and distributing Polish books, addressed mainly at children and youth.