This book attempts to cover A LOT of ground in 60 pages. I really fault the publishers for not allowing him to write and elaborate more on the subjects. It contains the absolute essentisls of understanding how mathematic notation and methods of measuring came about. The additional explanatory material is very consise and little erratic because of space requirements. Personally, the most useful thing I found in it wre the tables of measurements (such as cubits, palms, digits, etc.) and how they approximate to the modern metric system. I also found it to be a good primer for more thorough books such "The Exact Sciences in Antiquity" or "Science Awakening".