The special feature of the introduction to adult education presented here is its holistic design. It does not privilege any particular theoretical approach to observing, explaining, and changing adult learning. Through a comprehensive examination of historical, didactic, as well as epistemological and methodological dimensions of adult education, this introduction is particularly suitable for students, but also for practitioners who wish to expand their knowledge and reflect on their own actions through a deeper insight into the mentioned areas. The introduction is based on the text first published by Rolf Arnold in 1988, but it is an independent and fundamentally new publication. It places a stronger emphasis on self-organized forms of lifelong learning. Correspondingly, A.