Much unpublished work included.

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The best reason to buy this 400+ page book is that there are simply dozens upon dozens of images I have not seen before – which probably means you have not either – and many are worth seeing.

The cover image of HC-B with the Leica II and the flat nosed black nickel (later ‘Vidom’) finder (barely better than the awful one built into the body) is by George Hoyningen-Heune. The lens is the 35mm f/3.5 Elmar (a really tiny optic, and no great shakes optically, in addition to being uncoated) and likely the reason that HC-B is using an external finder, as the one in the body was for the 50mm lens only. Incidentally, this body had no rangefinder – focusing was by guesstimation. Leitz finally got the optics down in this focal legth with the post-war six element f/3.5 (later f/2.8) Summaron, and I happily used both for decades on my M2 and M3. The 8-element Summicron was every bit as good but a stop faster at f/2 and gestated into newer versions with fewer elements and aspherical glasses later on, all very compact. But the Summaron is really all you needed for street snaps.

The book is highly recommended.