The first edition of this popular book for collectors was published in 1990 and ended the story of Minox in 1989. Since then a lot has happened to Minox, including bankruptcy and then the take over by Leica GmbH. This new edition brings the story up-to-date, and includes many new color and black and white photos.

Morris Moses is the leading American authority on the Minox camera and was the author of the major part of this book. He has traced the history of Minox and its inventor, Walter Zapp, whose vision of a high quality, very small camera began with pre-war production in Latvia. He continues the story through the post-war move to what was then West Germany, describing the history and specifications of the subminiature cameras, coupled with stories and photographs of how they were used in covert operations, alongside others taken with the Minox, sometimes illegally. He also covers the birth of the 35mm Minox, as well as details of advertising promotional items and microfilm equipment.

In this new edition, the story had been taken up by British author John Wade, who has completed the Minox history, from 1989 to the present, with the story of the Minox decline and subsequent revival when, first Rollei and then Leica made offers for the company. He includes details of all the cameras launched since 1989 in the subminiature, 35mm, and Advanced Photo System (APS) formats, as well as the first autofocus models, special editions, new accessories, and the introduction of Minox binoculars.