Obraz Ameryki Północnej w sylwie Adama Jana Warakomskiego z 1743 roku
An image of North America in the silva created by Adam Jan Warakomski in 1743

Summary/Abstract: The manuscript books (silva rerum) written by the nobility of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth often contain geographical and historical information about other countries and continents. In the 18th century, compendia of knowledge were published more and more frequently. They described the world in an easy-to-understand way. From these works, certain pieces of knowledge were copied into the noblemen’s silva. This article examines an image of the New World, and more precisely of North America, created by Adam Jan Warakomski. While analysing various works containing geographical references that Warakomski may have used during the writing of his silva, it becomes evident that the sources of his knowledge were the works of the Jesuit Jan Drews. Therefore, an analysis of characteristics of North America as depicted by both authors is conducted. This article is supplemented by a source edition with the purpose of comparison between the content of the sources.

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