The Mercury Visions of Louis Daguerre

When the vision came, he was in the bathtub. So begins the madness of Louis Daguerre. In 1847, after a decade of using poisonous mercury vapors to cure his daguerreotype images, his mind is plagued by delusions. Believing that the world will end within one year, Daguerre creates his “Doomsday List”—ten items he must photograph before the final day. The list includes a portrait of Isobel Le Fournier, a woman he has always loved but not spoken to in half a century.

“Highly entertaining...Smith is fascinating and writes vividly...[he] has a talent for descriptive imagery...”

THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

“Accomplished and impressive...Smith's gifts as a storyteller and writer are obvious, sometimes overwhelming.” –BALTIMORE SUN

“Smith's beautifully written debut...”

KIRKUS REVIEWS (starred review)