Preliminary Guide to the Claire Necker Cat Collection, 1850s - 1990s

Collection Number MC 364

NCSU Libraries logo

Collection Information
Abstract:

The Claire Necker cat collection contains books, magazines, pamphlets, phonograph records, wallpaper, posters, original artwork, sketchbooks, collectibles, and artifacts related to cats. The collection primarily consists of books, including nineteenth century texts, out-of-print editions, and foreign-language materials. There are also thousands of cat collectibles, ranging from cat-themed towels and crockery to sculptures, children's toys, and prints.

Claire Necker is best known for her writings about cats. Her works include Cats and Dogs (A. S. Barnes, 1969), The Natural History of Cats (Delta, 1970), Supernatural Cats; An Anthology (Doubleday, 1972), and The Cat's Got Our Tongue (Scarecrow Press, 1973).

Contact Information:
Special Collections Research Center
NCSU Libraries
Campus Box 7111
Raleigh, North Carolina
27695-7111 USA
Phone: (919) 515-2273
Fax: (919) 515-8264
Email: special_collections@ncsu.edu
URL: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/specialcollections/
Processed by
In process
Encoded by
Dawne E. Howard, September 2005

Descriptive Summary

Repository

North Carolina State University Libraries, Special Collections Research Center

Creator

Necker, Claire

Title

Claire Necker cat collection, 1850s - 1990s

Call Number

MC 364

Extent

237 linear feet, 158 boxes

Location

For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Special Collections Research Center Reference Staff.

Language of Material

English

Information for Users

Restrictions to Access

This collection has restricted access. Please contact the department for more information.

Acquisitions Information

Manuscript materials purchased for the NCSU Libraries by various anonymous donors, 2003 (Accession no. 2003-0004).

Provenance

Previously maintained by the Animal Rights Network (ARN).

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Claire Necker cat collection, MC 364, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC

Copyright Notice

The nature of the NCSU Libraries' Special Collections means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The NCSU Libraries claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials.

The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.

Use Restrictions

Access is restricted until processed.

Biographical Note

Claire Kral Necker was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1917. She earned her master's degree in Animal Ecology from Northwestern University in 1938. After graduation, Necker was a museum curator of zoology from 1938 to 1940, a physicist from 1944 to 1949, and a chemist from 1949 to 1952. Necker was a partner in an antiquarian book business from 1942 to 1959 and a book cataloger at the Lake Hill Public Library in Indiana from 1969 to 1975. In 1939, she married librarian Walter L. Necker. The couple divorced in 1968.

Necker is best known for her writings about cats. In 1969, she published her first book, Cats and Dogs (A. S. Barnes, 1969). Necker's other works include The Natural History of Cats (Delta, 1970), Supernatural Cats; An Anthology (Doubleday, 1972), Four Centuries of Cat Books (Scarecrow Press, 1972), and The Cat's Got Our Tongue (Scarecrow Press, 1973). Necker focused on cats in order to establish a "definitive" history on the species.

Scope and Content Note

The Claire Necker cat collection contains books, magazines, pamphlets, phonograph records, wallpaper, posters, original artwork, sketchbooks, collectibles, and artifacts related to cats. The collection primarily consists of books about cats, including nineteenth century texts, out-of-print editions, and foreign-language materials. There are also thousands of cat collectibles, ranging from cat-themed towels and crockery to sculptures, children's toys, and prints.

Organization of the Collection

To be determined.

Online Catalog Terms

  • Cats in art
  • Cats in literature
  • Necker, Claire

Related Material

Detailed Description of the Collection

Container list forthcoming.

[Return to Descriptive Summary]