By Clive Woodcock

Published by Kogan Page Ltd., London (1982, 174 pp. plus 16 pp. Appendix and Index)

Paperback, £4.95

“LAW FOR THE SMALL BUSINESS: THE DAILY TELEGRAPH GUIDE” (3rd Edition)

By Patricia Clayton

Published by Kogan Page Ltd., London (1982, 250 pp. plus 31 pp. Appendices and Index)

Paperback, £5.50

These books would seem to have the advantage of a readily available market—the appearance of Ms. Clayton’s book in a third revised edition is proof enough of this. Over one third of the working population are employed in firms of less than 50 employees, and many such firms are doubtless relatively new, since the number of firms in Britain has grown by 20% over the last 10 years. Books which facilitate the process of commencing business are doubtless to be welcomed, if only because, as becomes clear on reading these two, the Government already allocates a large amount of precious resources in attempting to do just that. Moreover such is the range of information necessary that the “Guardian Guide for the Small Business” and “Law for the Small Business: The Daily Telegraph Guide” can stand easily alongside each other; there is little overlap.

This might not surprise the reader who suspects that the Guardian Guide will have useful hints on opening wholefood restaurants while The Daily Telegraph small businessman (as opposed to businessperson) aims to eventually take over ICI. In fact the difference is that in the Guardian Guide Clive Woodcock sets himself the more limited task of outlining the financial assistance available to start out in business, while Patricia Clayton takes on a review of the whole of that body of law relevant to the small business.