A prolific writer, Kraszewski produced more than two hundred novels. He is mostly known for his epic work on the history of Poland, consisting of twenty-three novels in seventy-nine parts. The first book in this cycle, Stara Baśń (Old Legend) (1876) was recently made into movie by Jerzy Hoffman.
Kraszewski is commonly regarded as the best Polish history author, second only to Henryk Sienkiewicz.