Many adults long to make up for an education they either never had or that seemed somehow lacking. Now they can fill in the gaps right at home withThe Bedside Baccalaureateseries, which speaks directly to this grown-up thirst for knowledge. Filled with color images, extremely readable, and with an appealing presentation, it provides a fun, no-pressure experience that everyone will enjoy. The goal ofThe Bedside Baccalaureateis not the simple accumulation of trivia, but the placement of facts within the framework of knowledge. The 20 coursesfocused overviews of subjects with which any well-educated person would want to be familiarare created by experts in their fields with the intention of making the topics accessible and entertaining. Each course consists of 18 one-page lectures that maximize clarity without compromising the integrity of the ideas. The lectures are rotated, rather than clumped together, to add variety to the reading experience and to mimic the heady mix of subjects one encounters in the world of the intellect. You can dip into an assortment of areas by reading a page at a time; or, if a course really grabs you, you can skip ahead. Learning is contagiousonce you get started, it's difficult to stop. The courses are associated with one of 12 departmental "strands" as follows: Two courses each per volume American History Philosophy World History Economics English and Comparative Literature Classics Art History Environmental Science Mathematics and Engineering Physical Sciences Social Science