Although most of us know the date and place of our birth...few know when and how their intellectual life began. .. Here one of the greatest thinkers of our age recalls the landmarks of his development. Apprenticed to a cabinet maker, Popper found that philosophical daydreams interfered with the quality of his French polish, making him realize that he was too 'ignorant and fallible' for manual work. Popper's memories of the first world war, love affair with Marxism and the working class, involvement in music, and reactions to antisemitism are as vital to this story as his encounters with Einstein, Russell, carnap, and Wittgenstein.