A must have for the film user

Today's musings revolve around the last edition of the Morgan and Morgan Leica Manual. This arrived in the early 1970's as the 15th edition of a series dating back to 1935. Most readers will be aware of the early editions, heavily US orientated, and, towards the post-war era, containing a few surgical photographs we could well do without !  Willard D. Morgan, a founder of the series passed away in 1967 but this edition is a worthy tribute to his Leica work.

Despite a marketing effort to regard the book as a continuation of the 14 editions that went before the 15th is a huge book with colour -or color-used and fresh contributions throughout. The previous editions we getting a bit like the Encyclopedia Britannica with really little need to buy more than one edition!

In 1973 we are in the age of the SL reflex and the M5 both of which appear in detail. However, it is in the processing and photojournalist contributions that the book excels. I have long been a fan of Bill Pierce whose work is represented as are many others in the World  of Film based Black and White. The book is often available at Camera Fairs and bookshops at modest prices but I believe it was never reprinted and we shall not see it's like again.