With the idea of offering professionals a concise field guide featuring pertinent technical information and charts, the American Cinematographer Hand Book and Reference Guide was first published in 1935. Author Jackson J. Rose, ASC noted in the book’s introduction, “With the rapid advance and progress in the art of cinematography… the cinematographer is continually besieged with mechanical problems, which to solve under the pressure of speed, often leads to many costly errors and the loss of valuable time time while on production.”
Source: A Brief History of the American Cinematographer Manual – The American Society of Cinematographers