If you're interested in this kind of general book in this this genre; I'd also recommend The Perfectionists by Simon Winchester. It's flawed in the back third but the balance of the book is an entertaining read. https://www.biblio.com/9780062652553
And from Paulg, "White's Medieval Technology and Social Change is the most fabulous book. http://goo.gl/cPujcr
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Adam Savage has an interesting (45m!) video entitled "Epiphany on the Science of Measurement!" where he gets a bit philosophical on accuracy and precision (using gauge/Johansson blocks as jumping off point):
I second this recommendation. It's a wonderful book. There are many fascinating tidbits in here that makes you really appreciate the importance of being able manipulate materials with precision. It's easy to take this for granted today, but it's critical to basically every technology we enjoy.