Ever Since reading Sienkiewicz's Trilogy I have been in love with the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth. Unfortunately (for me at least) most of the books on Polish history I can find are either general overviews, or focused on WW1, WW2, The Holocaust, Occupation, and so on. There seems to be relatively little that is actively focused before that.
I guess what I'm really looking for is a Historical Companion to the Trilogy, but I doubt something so targeted exists, so - can anyone recommend any books discussing or narrating the the history of the Commonwealth? I'm particularly interested books focused on military or political history, as I find its political system particularly interesting (liberum veto!)
There are two books relevent that I have been able to find
I would also love books focused on, for example, the Wars and battles involving Poland at the time more generally (that is, not just focused on Poland), or earlier periods of Polish history. I'm comfortable reading books written for an academic audience. As a side note, if anyone knows any documentaries on the same themes, they would also be great!
I see you have looked up some good sources specifically on the PLC in the 17th century, but to understand the larger context, I strongly suggest you start with Norman Davies's God's Playground: A History of Poland, Volume 1: Origins to 1795.
If you want the really nitty-gritty details of how the PLC's government, legislature, and foreign policy worked, look to Daniel Stone's The Polish–Lithuanian state, 1386–1795. It explains the operation of the foreign policy and the role of the great magnates in the east, especially well.
If you enjoyed Memoirs of the Polish Baroque, you might enjoy Mikos's Polish Baroque and Enlightenment Literature: An Anthology
One of my favorite books that helps to contextualize the PLC in a larger eastern European Context is the hard-to-find Between Poland and the Ukraine: The Dilemma of Adam Kysil by Frank Sysyn.
In my humble opinion, Kysil is one of the most fascinating but under-studied figures of the period. Kysil was Ruthenian Nobleman who embodies the contraditions and complexities of identity and power in the Eastern Borderlands of the PLC in the 17th century. Kysil simultaneously though of himself as Eastern Orthodox, Polish, Ruthenian, and Slzacha, all at the same time, and didn't seem to see an contradiction therein. Although modern Poland understands its own identity largely in terms of the Polish language and Catholic Christianity, the lines of national identity were drawn rather differently in the Early Modern Commonwealth.