Size matters. And "progress", as it translates into sprawl, congestion, resource depletion, overpopulation, the decline of communities and the rise of corporate rule, is quite literally killing us. In his landmark work Human Scale, Kirkpatrick Sale details the crises facing modern society and offers real solutions, laying out ways that we can take control of every facet of our lives by building institutions, workplaces and communities that are sustainable, ecologically balanced, and responsive to the needs of the individual. As relevant today as when it was first published in 1980, this remarkable book provides a fascinating perspective on the last quarter-century of "growth" and anticipates by decades the current movement towards relocalization in response to the end of cheap oil.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By Stan Vernooy
Format:Paperback
I've been a voracious reader ever since I learned to read almost 50 years ago, so that adds up to at least several thousand books. Out of all of those, there were perhaps half a dozen which permanently changed my life, and this is one of them. (If you really care to know what the others were, then e-mail me and I'll tell you, LOL.) Sale begins with the simplest possible premise: that all human efforts should be measured and evaluated in terms of how they increase human happiness, comfort and convenience. That idea seems too obvious to require discussion, and yet Sale demonstrates that in almost every aspect of our culture, we have ignored that principle. He then describes what would have to be done in order to bring our homes, furniture, neighborhoods, etc. into conformance with the greatest comfort and happiness for human beings. It's one of the most fascinatingly thoughtful books I have ever read, and I hope it comes back into print soon.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This would be on the list of the 100 books that influenced me the most.
What it is is a wideranging defense of anarchism, not just in the political sphere but in all human endeavors.
The insight i've carried with me for the 20+ years since i read it is that quantity doesn't scale, there is a point where a teaspoon of water increasing to a cup is useful and necessary, but as it increases to a swimming pool and eventually to the Pacific ocean, something in the quality changes. It becomes not a life essential glass of water, but a life threatening monster. Changes in quantity are qualitative. Seems like such a simple idea, but it isn't, as the book shows.
An easy but complete read, it talks about how many people you can remember by name, or by shape at a distance. To how technology distorts and maims people and our minds. I am sure that each chapter, and each insight has a number of books now written on the topic, but this is AFAIK the best one volume defense of this cluster of insights about how size really matters.
What it is is a wideranging defense of anarchism, not just in the political sphere but in all human endeavors.
The insight i've carried with me for the 20+ years since i read it is that quantity doesn't scale, there is a point where a teaspoon of water increasing to a cup is useful and necessary, but as it increases to a swimming pool and eventually to the Pacific ocean, something in the quality changes. It becomes not a life essential glass of water, but a life threatening monster. Changes in quantity are qualitative. Seems like such a simple idea, but it isn't, as the book shows.
An easy but complete read, it talks about how many people you can remember by name, or by shape at a distance. To how technology distorts and maims people and our minds. I am sure that each chapter, and each insight has a number of books now written on the topic, but this is AFAIK the best one volume defense of this cluster of insights about how size really matters.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This book changed my life. I had always had a vague feeling that a city, a house, a chair could be too large, too small or just right, but I did not realize anyone had carefully quantified just what is the best size for these things until I read this book. It is because of this book that I moved to a town of 35,000 people, and have been delighted with that choice for the last 10 years
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent book
The product arrived in good condition in a timely manner. It fulfilled or surpassed the description. We are very pleased. Read more
Published on January 19, 2011 by farmer
3.0 out of 5 stars
A lot to like, a little to dislike
This is a wide-ranging but not closely argued defense of a utopian vision in which the primary value is right-sizedness. Read more
Published on October 13, 2006 by E. Husman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Should be Re-Issued, a Seminal Publication Relevant to Governance
I am finding that books written in the 1970's and 1980's a making a comeback and people realize that certain of those authors were a quarter century ahead of their times. Read more
Published on October 3, 2006 by Robert David STEELE Vivas
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Needed Gospel: Get this book back in print!
Since the Small/Beautiful/Sensual societies we create in the post-corporate world should directly reflect the democratic will of each of our families, communities and bioregions,... Read more
Published on July 26, 2001 by W. D. Kubiak
5.0 out of 5 stars
If we paid attention, this book could revolutionize schools.
This book should have tremendous impact on the way Americans view growth-for-growth's-sake. The chapter titled Education: Big School, Small School is worth the price of the book... Read more
Published on October 26, 1998
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