I will be reviewing this title in the next few days but just wanted to alert you to it as it is a fascinating and interesting book. Helen Rappaport, who is one of my favourite historian writers, has collaborated with Roger Watson a world authority on the early history of photography. He is currently the curator of the Fox Talbot Museum at Lacock Abbey - yes, it is that Lacock where Pride and Prejudice and Cranford were filmed, and I cannot imagine a lovelier place to be based.
A collaboration can be fraught with problems and sometimes can founder, but not in this case as the book produced is immensely readable and in case you are worrying the scientific bits might be a tad dry and dusty, take my word for it, they are not.
I attended the launch on Monday evening which was held at Daunt's Bookshop in Marylebone High Street, surely one of the nicest bokshops in London, and it was good to meet up with Helen again and to have the pleasure of meeting Roger, plus assorted Facebook contacts who I have only known from their comments and chat. Lovely to meet in person.