Daguerre. The History of the Diorama and the Daguerreotype by Helmut and Alison Gernsheim.

Second revised edition with 124 illustrations. Dover, 1968. Authoritative biography. Includes list of known daguerreotypes by Daguerre. First or early printing of the second edition, lacks ISBN number found in later printings of this edition. Wraps, VG+.

Note: On December 14, 1829, Louis J.M. Daguerre and Nicéphore Niepce signed a contract in France to share their research on photography.  Daguerre (November 8, 1787–July 10, 1851) was an artist who was trying to invent photography but hadn’t gotten very far.  Niépce (March 7, 1765–July 5, 1833) had already invented the heliograph; one he made on a pewter plate is now the oldest surviving image made with a camera.  After Niépce’s death in 1833, Daguerre invented the daguerreotype with the photo on a silver coated copper plate.  The secrets of the daguerreotype and Niépce’s heliogravure were made public in 1839 in a deal with the French government, following which photography soon became practiced around the world.