Tachograph, Parlograph, Dictaphone, Dactylograph, typewriter, counter, records, receipts and forms, calculating machines, addressing machines and statistical machines, telephones, mechanical conveyors, clocks, diagrams and graphics: From the late 19th century to the 1940s, Western societies undergo an intense phase of mechanization of all workflows. A revolution in office life transforms the entire spectrum of information production, from writing and calculating to all related activities. This revolution heralds the unstoppable rise of the service sector while also preparing for the digital upheavals of our present. Delphine Gardey's book provides a comprehensive overview of the cognitive and material changes that shape Western social forms and economies.