Reference and Inspirational Books
I love to read, and I love to look at other photographers' images. This is a great way to get ideas, improve your own imaging through the viewfinder before the shutter is pressed, and learn about the craft. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it is some of the books I really enjoy. Note that some special edition Leica books may be harder to find, but check with your Leica store first.
Leica Books
Inspiration Leica Akademie by Heidi Mertens and Robert Mertens, published by Rheinwerk, Verla, Bonn. German and English in the same volume, this work has essays and examples from 76 photographers that I review from time to time to inspire me to try something different or out of my comfort zone. 1st edition printed in 2020, with ISBN 978-3-8362-6973-5. Purchase from the publisher or Amazon US.
Leica M by Leica Camera published by Leica Camera AG, 2024. This work covers the history of the M camera, but not just different models, it covers photography using the M system. Essays from many well known Leica photographers, this work is not currently for sale and can only be purchsed pre-owned. I have seen this on EBay. I enjoy seeing how others have used the M system over the decades and looking for ways to improve my framing of an image.
Books About Leica Cameras
Leica Compendium, Company, Camera, Lenses by the late Erwin Puts, published by imX/Photosite, third edition, November 2011. This work covers many very technical aspects of Leica rangefinder photography, a brief history of the evolution of Leica Cameras and explanations of how lenses not only draw light, but focus light and the measuring of the contrast of a lens. Most importantly to me, the volume covers Leica screwmount, M and R lenses through the publishing date with MTF graphs and detailed descriptions of light drawing at various apertures. I understand the sweet spots of my lenses more from this work. While the hardbound book is available pre-owned, you can buy the digital version through the LFI Magazine app with some edited updates after the third edition.