This volume investigates the evolution of scientific computation in Britain during the first half of the twentieth century. Mary Croarken, a scholar of computing history, examines the transition from manual and mechanical calculation methods to the emergence of early electronic computers. The text provides a systematic overview of the inventors, the specific hardware utilized, and the institutional shifts that moved Britain toward centralized computing practices.

Historians of science and technology frequently cite this work as a reliable reference for the pre-digital era of British computing. Readers often note the clarity with which the author connects mechanical development to the broader history of mathematical practice.