Originally published in 1985 this book is a critique and comparison of the nature, structure and provision of university adult education in England and the USA. The focus is both contemporary (twentieth century) and historical and is interdisciplinary, involving both social scientific and historical modes of enquiry and analysis. A central concern of the book is the liberal tradition as it has operated in its different ways and the erosion of this tradition and its consequences for the contemporary structure of university adult education form a large part of the book's discussion.