Based on a national project to collect "diaries of 1,000 adult learners," this book contains the writings of men and women from across Britain about the joys and challenges of learning. Some write about courses such as those run by further education colleges or Open University, Workers' Educational Association, and Women's Institute. Others describe serendipitous learning as volunteers or club members, in social and leisure pursuits, or at work. Part 1 is a selection of 28 whole diaries that illustrate the diversity of both style and context. They have been chosen because they explore the way formal and informal learning enriches and complicates everyday experience and illustrate the enormous variety of opportunities available to the adult learner. Part 2 is arranged according to significant themes that emerged in the experiences of the diarists about the motivations, challenges, learning experiences, and achievements of adult learners. Shorter extracts from a larger number of diaries illuminate and explore these themes. An afterword about working with the diaries discusses in more detail their creation and considers how they might be used by researchers, policy makers, and participants in adult education. Appendixes contain: 20 readings, abbreviations, and indexes of diarists and institutions, organizations, and places where the diarists' learning occurred. (YLB)