A new book from Luther College professor Aaron Lurth takes readers from the mechanics of a camera to the cultural and historical forces that shaped the film-camera industry. Small Luxuries: Film Cameras is a 128-page illustrated history published Aug. 4 by the Quarto Group, according to Luther College News.
Luther College highlighted the book Aug. 12, 2026. Lurth, the college’s program director of visual communication and an associate professor of art, brings experience in photography, graphic design and film to a volume intended as a broad, accessible history rather than a highly technical examination.
From camera mechanics to cultural history
The hardcover opens with an explanation of how a camera works, then follows the development of camera technology through historic manufacturers, notable models and major figures in the industry. Its photographs and illustrations are central to the coffee-table-style presentation, which also includes vintage advertisements, photographs and newspaper clippings.
About one-third of the images were sourced and photographed by Lurth using cameras he owns or was able to access. One of the oldest cameras he photographed was a 1909 Kodak No. 3A Folding Brownie.
Research for the project broadened Lurth’s understanding of individual brands and models. It also led him beyond equipment history, toward the people and events connected to the camera industry. The resulting book may interest readers focused on photography, design and cultural history.
The Leica story behind the technology
One of the book’s major discoveries concerns Leica, the German camera company. During the 1930s, Leica owner Ernst Leitz II helped approximately 300 Jewish people leave Nazi Germany by assigning them to offices in France, Great Britain, Hong Kong and the United States under the appearance of Leica employment.
The effort later became known as the Leica Freedom Train. Lurth uses the episode to show how camera companies can be tied not only to design and technological innovation, but also to major historical events and the people affected by them.
Lurth’s Luther College connection
Lurth earned a bachelor’s degree in art from Luther College in 2008 and a master of fine arts degree in photography and graphic design from the University of Iowa in 2012. He later returned to Luther as a professor of art and visual communication.
His photographic work has appeared in projects associated with National Geographic, ABC, NBC, MTV.com, Time, the Des Moines Register, General Electric, CNET.com, the Red Cross and The Iowa Review. His films have screened at more than 100 festivals worldwide and received several awards, including the Iowa Motion Picture Association’s Best Documentary film.
In 2022, two of Lurth’s photographs were added to the permanent collection of the Figge Art Museum in Davenport. Small Luxuries: Film Cameras is available through the Luther Book Shop and online.