The Mercury Visions of Louis Daguerre

In this luminous novel, Dominic Smith reinvents the life of one of photographys founding fathers. In 1839, Louis Daguerres invention took the world by storm. A decade later, he is sinking deep into delusions brought on by exposure to mercury, the very agent that allowed his daguerreotype process. Believing the world will end within one year, he creates his Doomsday Listten items he must photograph before the final day. This is a story of ruined love, fame unraveling, and a prodigious mind coming undone.