This study by W. Kubijovyč (1900-1985) seems, at first glance, impressive. A large volume of statistical tables provides data on the ethnic structure of every village and town in the area investigated. A large map presents these data in graphic form. A preface gives the biography and bibliography of the author, an introduction (in Ukrainian and English) explains the methods by which the study was carried out. Kubijovyč, before 1939 a scholar at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, has tried to investigate the complicated national structure of the area with its mixed population, in which Ukrainians were the largest group, with substantial numbers of Poles and Jews. This problerp., with its obvious political implications, was hotly disputed in Poland before 1939 and is still discussed today by Polish historians.

Kubijovyč is interested only in the territory which, before 1918 was under Austrian rule. Between the Two World Wars, the area comprised the following provinces: Stanislawow, Tarnopol, the eastern part of Lwow and some regions of Krakow. Ethnic divisions did not coincide with administrative units and the method adopted by Kubijovyč has made impossible any exact comparisons with estimates based on the administrative structure of Poland. The population of every village and town is divided into the following groups: Ukrainians, Ukrainians speaking the Polish language, Poles, Polish colonists (peasants from the other parts of the Polish Republic who received land from the sub-divided manors), Latynnyky (Ukrainians of Roman Catholic faith),Jews, Germans and others. In most cases the figures are supposed to be exact, in other cases, the author has marked them as ‘approximate’ or ‘estimated’. In some cases he has pointed out that the number of Roman Catholics is approximate.

The method of presenting data is, however, very imprecise. All figures in the tables end with 0 or 5, most villages and towns have populations ending with tens. Such a situation is impossible in the real world where the probability of each numeral is equal. This shows that the precision of tables is only apparent and all the data are approximate.

Another problem is that Kubijovyč has treated separately only the groups of people who could be considered Ukrainian from the ethnic point of view, marking them off from the Polish population.