ABSTRACT
Charles Knight relationship with the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (SDUK) was to prove both his salvation and his nemesis. It was his salvation in that after few years of struggle in the London publishing world, and having lost all his worldly possessions in the financial panic of 1825–1826, he was saved from despair by an offer to work for the Society. It was also his nemesis in that thereafter, for good or ill, his reputation became seemingly inextricably entwined with the SDUK. Henry Brougham's active enthusiasm for adult education found expression not only through his support for the Mechanics' Institutes, but also at the other end of the spectrum in his role as a founder of University College London. The early SDUK members were a varied group comprising academics, lawyers, politicians and businessmen. Brougham was untiringly active in his involvement with the SDUK, presiding over the General Committee meetings regularly.
