One thing you have to remember when you're buying ATM books is that there's no one book that covers everything. One book may have a long and detailed discussion on mirror making but it may not have enough coverage on how to build the telescope.
The list here is in beginner's order, i.e, the list starts with a book that every beginner must have. After you have these beginner's books you will know what other books you need.
Build Your Own Telescope,by Richard Berry,
Willman-Bell
This is the "Beginner's book". Also has some plans to make telescopes. The last 2 or three chapters are on mirror making.
How To Make a Telescope,by Jean Texereau,
Willman-Bell
Tex's book is also "Beginner's book" but it covers more area than Berry's, and it's also more technical. IMO it is more difficult to understand than Berry's, maybe because English is not my first language.
Handbook for Telescope Making,by NE Howard
This highly praised book by some ATMers is, unfortunately, out-of print but it's still available through some book stores.
Amateur Telescope Making (3 Volumes),by Albert Ingals,
Willman-Bell
f you ask the ATM community what book you should have, this book by Ingals will be the first book they recommend. The reason it is not on the first of this list is because I do not have this book on my bookshelf.
Vol 1:
Newtonian Telescope Mirror Making; Optical Testing;
Workshop Wisdom; and Observatory Buildings
Vol 2:
Refractor Telescopes; Telescope Mechanics; Telescope
Adjustments; Binoculars; Schmidt Cameras; and
Optical Flats.
Vol 3:
Optical Production Methods and Machinery;Eyepieces
and Small Lenses; Optical Coatings and Coating
Equipment; The Eye and Atmosphere; Other Optical
Instruments; and Instrumentation for Solar
Observations.
Making Your Own Telescope,by Allyn J. Thompson,
The Dobsonian Telesopes,by David Kriege & Richard Berry,
Amateur Telescope Making,edited by Stephen Tonkin,
Advanced Telescope Making Techniques (2 Volumes),edited by Alan Macintosh,
VOL 1, OPTICS
VOL 2, MECHANICAL.
Star Testing Astronomical Telescope,by HR Suiter,
Telescope Optics: Evaluation and Design,by Harrie Rutten & Martin van Venrooij,
Sky Publishing.
Willman-Bell
The book is about building a big Dobsonian (truss tube telescope). It covers step-by-step instruction on how to make your own truss tube telescope, but only one chapter covers mirror making. I think it's the most comprehensive book so far on building a telescope (read: truss tube telescope).
Springer Verlag.
This book is a collection of articles written by Amateur Telescope Makers.
Willman-Bell
Covers: Figuring; Testers and Testing; Optical Theory;
Telescope Designs and Designing; Spectrohelioscopes;
Interferometers; Calculator Programs for Telescope
Makers
Covers: Grinding Tools; Curve Generators,Generating;
Small Lens Work; Accessories for Glass Working;
Grinding and Polishing Machines; Making and Testing
Flats;Telescope Construction;Telescope Accessories;
Photography; The Telescope Maker's Workshop.
Willman-Bell
This book is about star testing a telescope, with pictures of how a mirror should look like under star test but if you're looking for information on how to correct a mirror, you won't find the information here.
Willman-Bell