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Mr Crookes/
Lacock
May 26
Dr Sir
If I had not been so exceedingly busy for the last few days, I should sooner have thanked you for your very beautiful Volume, which shall occupy a distinguished place in my library.
I sent to Mr Brooker about a week ago the copperplate of the Tuileries which has been steeled. In reply he speaks not very confidently of being able to take the requisite No of good impressions from that plate only, and asks me to make some more – I made 4 new ones the other day but they turned out when proved to be middling only. I am about to leave this for Scotland but before I go I will try again to obtain at least one more etching as good as the one on the steeled plate. If I do not succeed, I suppose I must take all the plates I have made, of this subject, with me to Scotland, and keep them as a reserve, in case of failure of the steeled copperplate then the other plates must be sent up to Town and Mr Brooker must select the best of them to print from. But I will hope it will not be necessary to use them.
I thank you for the 2 photographs of the Moon. They are very beautiful – Still I could wish for sharper definition, they are a little out of focus which prevents a multitude of small details from being visible – A half moon wd make a much finer object that a full moon on account of the mountains & craters. I tried your moon but my photoglyph did not satisfy me. I will try again.
Yours truly
H. F Talbot