War, travel, love and slide rules
Cyril Catt has 550 slide rules, give or take a few. And quite a number of abacuses too. He has big slide rules that hang on the wall, for school use. Small ones to put in your pocket. Round ones. Slide rules from around the world. And he’s always on the lookout for more. These vintage devices, so vital for engineers and scientists before the invention of the electronic calculator, are practically redundant, but their elegance and ingenuity charms many collectors who, like Cyril, scour garage sales and antique shops for interesting examples to enjoy, use…