Whether it's Waldorf education, biodynamic agriculture, holistic medicine, or organic architecture: almost everyone has come into the sphere of influence of Rudolf Steiner, voluntarily or involuntarily. Heiner Ullrich provides a concise and knowledgeable portrait of the founder of anthroposophy and his comprehensive teachings that touch on nearly every aspect of life. Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) himself portrayed his life as a straightforward development toward higher knowledge. Later biographers have followed this self-image. However, a critical overall depiction of the life and teachings of the esotericist, whom Kurt Tucholsky called the "Jesus Christ of the common man," is long overdue. Heiner Ullrich describes Steiner's remarkable career from the son of a small railway official in the Austrian province to a Goethe enthusiast and preacher of theosophy, and ultimately to a global figure.