George Birkbeck

First issued in 1894, this biography by John George Godard traces the life of George Birkbeck, an English physician who was also known for his philanthropy. Birkbeck is remembered as a leading figure in the mechanics' institute movement, which established places of learning across nineteenth-century Britain.

The book also places Birkbeck's efforts within the period when these institutions were founded, showing how adult education programs first took shape.