Re: [Leica] Selective Leica/photo bibliography (LONG)

[Alan Ball <AlanBall@csi.com>]

Nathan,

Thanks for the effort ! This post sure is a keeper...

Alan

Nathan Wajsman wrote:
> 
> Back safely in the relaxed athmosphere of my Brussels office, here is my
> suggested
> reading list regarding Leica and photography in general.
> The list is of course highly selective, based on my own experience.
> 
> 1) LEICA-SPECIFIC BOOKS
> 
> Jonathan Eastland, "Leica M Compendium", Hove Books 1994. A good basic
> book with
> descriptions
> of all the  Leica M models from the M3 to the M6 (but not the latest
> M6HM or the
> TTL versions of the M6).
> Also describes all the current lenses and the more common of the older
> ones. There
> are chapters on how to
> use the rangefinder, how to handle and utilise the Leica. Other chapters
> describe
> the more common accessories
> such as the Visoflex, the MR meters, the Rapidwinder etc. This was my
> first Leica
> book. Cost about 30 GBP.
> 
> Gianni Rogliatti, "Leica--The First 70 Years", Hove Collectors Books
> 1995. This
> book is more equipment-oriented
> than Eastland's and covers all the important Leica cameras, i.e. the
> early screw
> mounts, the M system, the Leicaflex and
> the R system. It does not have "how-to-use" chapters. While Eastland's
> book is
> aimed at the user, Rogliatti's is more
> relevant for the collector. The two books complement each other, with
> Rogliatti
> being more throrough and covering
> more of the Leica history. I am certainly not a collector, but I find
> this book
> both entertaining and useful. About 30 GBP.
> 
> Next, two small books from Hove Collectors Books, the "Leica Pocket
> Book", 6th ed.
> and the "Leica Accessory Guide", 2nd ed.
> (published in 1994 and 1996, respectively). The Leica Pocket Book covers
> all
> cameras and lenses, with specifications, versions,
> serial number series (up to 1992). I find it quite indispensable. The
> Accessory
> Guide does the same for accessories. I found it
> extremely useful, for example, when I was looking for an external
> viewfinder for
> my M3. I carry these two small books in my
> briefcase at all times. I cannot remember the prices, but they are under
> 10 GBP
> each.
> 
> Finally, the magnum opus of Leica books, James Lager's three volumes,
> "Leica--An
> Illustrated History". Volume 1 covers cameras,
> Volume 2 lenses and Volume 3 accessories. These are big, fat
> coffee-table books,
> with beautiful pictures of even the most obscure
> equipment. They are aimed squarely at collectors but as a user, I enjoy
> looking at
> them nonetheless. These books are available from
> the Internet bookshops ( www.bookshop.co.uk or  www.amazon.com ) at
> around 100 GBP
> or $160, or you can buy them directly
> from James Lager (tel. 1-210-768-5426) at a special price for LHSA
> members (see
> below) for $130.
> 
> To someone just starting out with Leica stuff and seeking basic
> information, I
> recommend the Eastland book and the two pocket
> books.
> 
> 2) OTHER LEICA-SPECIFIC RESOURCES
> 
> On the Web, there are two supreme sources of Leica information. The
> first is Erwin
> Puts's site,  http://www.imx.nl/photosite/leica/leicahome.html .It is
> especially strong on information about the various Leica M lenses.
> Erwin's
> test reports are second to none.
> 
> The second site is of course Leica's official web site,
> http://www.leica-camera.com.
> If you can read German, go to the German version of the site, as there
> is some
> information there that is not included on the English version (e.g.
> about the
> Leica Card programme).
> 
> The Leica Historical Society of America (LHSA) publishes a quarterly
> journal,
> "Viewfinder", with many interesting articles and quite stunning Leica
> images. In
> addition, the LHSA also publishes the "Leica Catalog", a buy-and-sell
> publication
> for members. If you are looking for some obscure accessory and want some
> reasonable
> level of assurance that you will be dealing with an honest person, this
> is a good
> place to look. Most of the ads are from people in the USA, but there is
> also a fair
> amound of European members. I bought my M3 from a guy in Germany who
> advertised in
> the Catalog. To join the LHSA, write to LHSA Secretary-Treasurer,
> P.O.Box 250089,
> Plano, TX 75025-0089, USA, or e-mail its president, Bill Rosauer, on
> leicaman56@aol.com.
> Annual membership fee is $60 overseas and $45 in the USA.
> 
> Umschau Verlag in Germany publishes Leica Fotografie International in
> English, French and
> German. Opinions about this magazine are divided. Its information
> content is quite low
> compared to the web resources listed above. The portfolios featured in
> it are of varying
> quality. The translations into English are sometimes quite funny, it is
> obvious that they
> are being done by non-native English speakers. All in all I find that
> this magazine is not
> a good value for money compared to the ones I list below (but I still
> buy it...).
> 
> 3) NON-LEICA SPECIFIC READING
> 
> BOOKS
> There are many excellent photography books out there. I will single out
> the following:
> Ansel Adams's series "The Camera", "The Negative" and "The Print" has
> recently been
> re-issued in paperback. Even though these books are from the early 80s
> and focus mainly
> on B&W photography, they serve as a good source of inspiration to anyone
> interested in
> pursuing perfection. More recent books to recommend are two really
> comprehensive works,
> both published by Focal Press: Michael Langford, "Advanced Photography"
> (6th ed., 1998) explains
> all the basics and a lot more too. If you want to know about the meaning
> of MTF curves,
> or how film really works, this is the book to have. If you want to get
> deeper into the
> technical side of things, optical principles etc., then "The Manual of
> Photography" by
> Jacobson, Ray and Attridge (8th ed., 1988) is worth buying. Each of
> those two books costs
> between 20 and 30 GBP and is available from the Internet bookshops, as
> are the Adams books.
> 
> MAGAZINES
> After having looked at many, many photo magazines (both UK and USA) I
> have settled on the
> following three:
> 
> -Photo Techniques, www.phototechmag.com, or 1-800-877-5410. A wonderful
> magazine with real,
> informative articles, such as Erwin Puts's article about the Noctilux
> lens last fall. Do not
> confuse with the British magazine of a similar name. $21.95/year in the
> USA, $26.95 elsewhere.
> 
> -Camera Arts, 1-916-441-2557. Focuses more on the fine art side of
> photography, and on print
> making. Beautiful reproduction and in depth-articles on topics such as
> variable contrast printing.
> In Europe, call Lotus View Camera at +43 6278 7900 for a subscription.
> $25/year in the USA, more
> elsewhere (I do not remember the exact price). Be sure to specify Camera
> Arts and not View Camera
> Arts, published by the same company.
> 
> -LensWork Quarterly, www.lenswork.com or 1-503-659-2130. No equipment
> reviews, exclusive focus on
> art photography and portfolios. Interesting interviews with
> photographers, high quality stuff all
> around. Subscription is $29/year in the USA and $49/year overseas.
> 
> None of these magazines will provide you with basic reviews of new
> camera models, and they also
> do not have the kind of enormous ads for mail order outfits that you
> will find in magazines such
> as Popular Photography, Amateur Photographer or Practical Photography.
> Those more basic magazines
> of course have their place too, but if you are after in-depth contents
> and great photography, then
> the three I listed above cannot be beat.
> 
> On a final note, I have only included English-language publications in
> this writeup. Of course there
> are many fine magazines and books in other languages too, but since this
> is going to an international
> audience, I have excluded them from the review here.
> 
> Nathan
> 
> imxputs wrote:
> 
> > I would like to invite Lucien and Nathan and some others who seem to have
> > collected all material around Leica to produce a short list of reference
> > material tthat anyone should read and digest. I will offer to indicate what of
> > this literature is really of importance.
> > In this manner we can produce a basic reading list for ourselves and for new
> > members on this list in order to avoid reiterating the same stories time after
> > time.
> >
> > Erwin
> 
> --
> Nathan Wajsman
> Overijse, Belgium
> Photo page: http://members.tripod.com/~belgiangator