Michael R. Williams' "A History of Computing Technology" ( ISBN-13: 978-0818677397 ) talks a lot about pre-electronic-computer technologies and techniques for calculation and information management.
It's a solid suggestion for history of computing books in general. I like it better in several ways than the more common Ceruzzi book (especially because it starts much earlier and situates better), but it hasn't been updated since 1997 and some things, especially in the more recent history, are understood differently now than at the time it was written.
It's a solid suggestion for history of computing books in general. I like it better in several ways than the more common Ceruzzi book (especially because it starts much earlier and situates better), but it hasn't been updated since 1997 and some things, especially in the more recent history, are understood differently now than at the time it was written.