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Collection Data
- Description
- Ida May Mellen (1877-1970) was an aquarist at the New York Aquarium, 1916-1929. She wrote books and articles in the fields of marine biology and felinology. Collection consists of correspondence, writings, family and personal papers, photographs, and printed matter. Includes personal letters, 1903-1959; correspondence, 1907-1960, with editors, publishers and others relating to Mellen's writings and professional interests; correspondence, 1925-1958, concerning cats; original manuscripts and typescripts of her major unpublished writings; typescripts of poems, lectures and radio talks; and genealogical papers including her study of Mellen family ancestry in America. Also, notes for her writings, personal notebooks, childhood diary and letters, family photographs, newsclippings, and scrapbooks containing her published articles and references to her in print.
- Names
- Mellen, Ida M., 1877-1970 (Creator)
- Dates / Origin
- Date Created: 1884 - 1964
- Library locations
- Manuscripts and Archives Division
- Shelf locator: MssCol 1958
- Topics
- Aquariums -- New York (State) -- New York
- Cats
- Marine biology
- Publishers and publishing -- United States
- Marine biologists
- Mellen, Ida M., 1877-1970
- Mellon family
- New York Aquarium
- Genres
- Correspondence
- Photographs
- Scrapbooks
- Diaries
- Notes
- Biographical/historical: Born in N. Y. C., d. of Andrew Jackson Mellen and Mary Davis Sprague
1893 - graduated from Lockwood Academy, Brooklyn
1900 - graduated from Browne's Business College, Brooklyn
1901-1916 - law reporter, N. Y. C.
1908-1910 - student at Marine Biological Lab, Woods Hole
1916-1929 - aquarist, New York Aquarium, engaged in care and feeding of aquatic animals in captivity
1929 - toured Europe studying public aquarium methods
1930 - engaged in authorship and independent research
Member: Alden Kindred of N. Y. City and Vicinity
International Humane Education Foundation
Thomas Paine Memorial Committee
The World Calendar Assoc.
Author: (monographs)
"The Whitefishes" (with J. Van Osten), 1923
"A Table of Information Regarding Aquariums of the World", 1925 (revised, 1928)
"The Natural and Artificial Foods of Fishes", 1927
"The Treatment of Fish Diseases", 1928
(Books)
Fishes in the Home, 1927 (revised, 1954)
Young Folks' Book of Fishes, 1927
Roof Gardening", 1929
1001 Questions Answered About Your Aquarium (with Robt. J. Lanier), 1935 (revised, 1953)
A Practical Cat Book, 1939
The Science and Mystery of the Cat, 1940
Outstanding Members of the Mellen Tribe in America, 1941
Twenty Little Fished (juvenile), 1942
The Wonder World of Fishes, 1951
The Natural History of the pig, 1952
(Articles)
Numerous articles and book reviews esp. in fields of marine biology and felinology
SEE: Who's Who in Amer, vol. 31, 1960-1961; Contemporary Authors, vol. 7-8, 1963.
- Physical Description
- Extent: 8.5 linear feet (7 boxes, 8 v., 1 package)
- Type of Resource
- Text
- Still image
- Identifiers
- NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b12370177
- MSS Unit ID: 1958
- Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 7b7e8f20-a5d9-013d-3753-0242ac110002
