Glancing at the cover your first thought might be that this book is filled with promotional material, touting Swarovski products, marginalizing the competition, and so forth.
Absolutely not! This 70 pg. package of dynamite is actually the nicest primer I have ever seen about optical history, theory, product design, R&D, market needs, manufacturing processes, and field uses for telescopes, binoculars and rifle scopes. Other than a few pictures of Swarovski products (without even model names) the treatise is exceptionally educational and broadly applicable. I think experts and novices alike would find it hard to fault any of the technical material, which eloquently summarizes a great deal of what is discussed on BF every day.
The book was authored by Klaus-Dieter Linsmeier in collaboration with Swarovski Optik KG, and then translated to beautiful English by a Dr. Herrlinger. Apparently the book is only distributed by Swarovski and not sold over the counter (at least in the USA).
Okay, so what is the price of admission? Absolutely nothing. All you have to do is call 1-800-426-3089 and ask for the book to be sent to you. Stock # 60253. I inquired first if it would be OK for me to post this information, and was told it would be perfectly fine. Fair enough: thank you Swarovski.
I would be very surprised if there were not several posts concerning the value of this free little book. Do enjoy it.
