Definitely better than average, but also very predictable. ( )

This book should be required reading in schools - it is that good. Insightful, clear and to the point, the author's analysis of the issues is as relevant today as it was when he wrote it.

His basic premise is that fossil fuels are capital , and yet we consume it like it is a revenue stream, and this is ultimately destructive. Instead we should spend our capital resources in order to create the infrastructure for sustainability.

This book inspired the organic movement, and is the intellectual basis of so much of environmentalism. We ignore its lessons at our peril. ( )

A very important book, and I'm surprised how relevant it still is, 35 years after its publication. There are many brilliant threads throughout the book, from the madness of burning our non-renewable sources of energy to a call for the restoration of the cardinal virtues for our personal guidance, rather than the principles of economics.

There are a few off-key themes. For instance, Schumacher rejects much of science, particularly evolution and the relevance of the laws of thermodynamics, on seemingly religious grounds. But there is so much good stuff in the book, and it is so compellingly presented, that I can't help but overlook these negatives and add it to my list of favorites. ( )

A book packed full of common sense in economic terms. Makes at least as good an argument as Monbiot's 'Heat' for why we shouldn't be consuming fossil fuels - that its consuming our capital. What's most interesting is that this book reads as though it was written very recently even though it dates back to 1973 - Schumaker was such a forward thinker. One minor area of disagreement I have with the author is on the private vs nationalised debate - he doesn't note that one problem of the nationalised institution is that its effectively immortal. Nevertheless, strongly recommended. ( )

from back cover: "... Schumacher maintains that Man's current pursuit of profit and progress, which promotes giant organisations and increased specialisation, has in fact resulted in gross economic inefficiency, environmental pollution and inhumane working conditions. ... [He] proposes a system of Intermediate Technology, based on smaller working units, communal ownership, and regional workplaces utilising local labour and resources. With the emphasis on the person not the product, Small is Beautiful points the way to a world in which Capital serves Man instead of Man remaining a slave to Capital."