A rag-bag of essays, some more interesting than others. His thesis, or perhaps bee-in-bonnet is that Europe is not just Western Europe. He sees a conspiracy of neglect. I find the case at best not proven. Ok, so Copernicus was Polish, who else in Poland did major science? Mendel was Bohemian and his results were hidden for decades, i would say, because the rest of Bohemia didn't give a damn. Who are the Swedish successors of Linnaeus? Poland's only really A-list composer: Chopin - half French. The contributions of France, Germany, UK to the whole range of science, arts and philosophy is so far ahead of the rest (even Italy once the Renaissance had run its course), the Europe textbooks Davies gets so across about seem to me quite justified. Sure a few things happened elsewhere, but nothing like that great sweep. So Poland-Lithuania was the greatest state in Europe in the middle Ages and saved Vienna from the Turks, but where are they now? And Byzantium? Hung on for a millennium of palace intrigues and theological wrangling, but with what influence or legacy? A style for Icons in the Balkans and Russia, El Greco's paintings...
Similar PC revisionist claims get made for Arab science, Indian Maths etc. Yes, they played a contributing role, but barely got off the ground. ( )