In this book, first published by Macmillan in 1977, Mortimer J. Adler, author of "Ten Philosophical Mistakes", "How to Read a Book" and "Aristotle for Everybody", provides a chronicle of more than 50 years of his achievement in the fields of education and publishing. He discusses the development of one of the great publishing ventures of the century - the 54-volume set of "Great Books of the Western World" - and he details the planning and production of the 15th edition of the "Encyclopaedia Britannica". This book describes the career of a man who sought to bring books to the layman and engage all readers in philosophical thought and debate. It recounts a wide variety of personal and intellectual encounters and ranges from academia to the world of business.