Book Review of "Automata & Mechanical Toys"

This book by Mary Hillier has quite a good comprehensive history and survey on automata. It spans a long historical period from the Greeks to present day, and a global output stretching from karakuri in Japan to the penny wind-up tintoys of the USA. Of course, the primary coverage is on the golden age of automata as produced in France. There are some nice colour and black and white pictures which accompany the text. There is no coverage on the actual mechanisms though.