Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush (2005)

There's a KnitALong dedicated to this book, which indicates its popularity. I took Nancy's class based on the book, saw the samples up close and personal, and was very impressed. Her patterns are extremely well designed, cleverly put together, based on the past but not slavishly following the Victorian use of 000 needles or other aspects that would be difficult for us to deal with today. (How did they knit such fine work without 100W bulbs anyway?)
An intermediate knitter can make anything in the book and have a really nice sock as a result. Sizing is a little bit of an art, but not too difficult once you get the hang of it (use larger needles to make a larger size, etc.).

Nancy clearly loves the very best yarns too, so it is worthwhile to follow her recommendations. If you call her shop, The Wooly West, you will talk to her directly. I found her very friendly and helpful, in class and on the phone. She really is one of the top designers of our time.