To examine Coolie Verner's contributions to the study of adult education as a systematic discipline, the author of this paper reviews and analyzes Verner's publications from 1950-1975. The first of five sections describes this as a period of rapid growth for the adult education field. Verner is depicted as a leader in developing a substantive body of knowledge for adult education and in diffusing that knowledge through graduate programs and publications. Section 2 identifies Verner publications by year, field of interest, format, and content. Content is categorized as transitory (personal beliefs/experiences, practice techniques, program descriptions, and book reviews) or substantive (empirical research, interpretative literature, reviews/bibliographies, theoretical formulations, and historical). Section 3 addresses qualitative aspects of Verner's work by examining the author's attempts to encourage consistency and precision in defining terms and classifying processes. Section 4 analyzes the impetus and implications of four major themes apparent in Verner's work: diffusion and adoption, history of the field, participation, and the undereducated adult. The final section reviews Verner's efforts to define and describe a discipline of adult education and to examine the process whereby it should develop. A concluding bibliography is grouped into four parts: Verner's publications 1944-75, theses/dissertations directed by Verner, review of Verner's publications, and general references. (CSS)