Chris Claremont papers, 1973-2018
Summary Information
Abstract
At a Glance
- Call No.:
- MS#1593
- Bib ID:
- 9052094 View CLIO record
- Creator(s):
- Claremont, Chris, 1950-
- Repository:
- Rare Book and Manuscript Library
- Physical Description:
- 40 linear feet (31 record cartons and 2 document boxes)
- Language(s):
- English .
- Access:
- You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.
-
This collection is located off-site. Researchers will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.
This collection has no restrictions.
Description
Summary
The Claremont collection consists of Claremont's professional papers, including his comic book work and drafts and manuscripts of novels, short stories and screenplays. Claremont's comic-related files include project proposals, scripts, and story ideas; his work with the X-Men franchise and his independent, creator-owned series Sovereign Seven are particularly well represented in the collection. The papers also include Claremont's business records, many of which relate to publicizing and promoting his work, and mail from his readers and fans.
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Series I: Project Files, 1973-2015
Project Files contains scripts and other files related to Claremont's various writing projects, including comic books that Claremont scripted and files related to his non-comic book related projects such as his early short stories, some screenplays, and drafts of novels.
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Series II: Business Records, 1968-2012
The Business Records includes records related to the business side of Claremont's creative career. This series is particularly valuable in the ways that it documents Claremont's various relationships with the comics industry as a staff writer, a freelancer, and an editor.
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Series III: Notebooks, 1977-2014
The Notebooks series is comprised of Claremont's notebooks. These notebooks include story ideas, scripting ideas, character notes, and notes from business and editorial meetings as well as more personal and prosaic notes and lists. The notebooks are arranged roughly chronologically and researchers interested in a particular project should look both in the project files and the notebooks series.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in 4 series.
- Series I: Project Files, 1973-2015
- Subseries I.1: Comics Projects, 1979-2015
- Subseries I.2: Short Stories, Novels, and Screenplays, 1973-2012
- Series II: Business Records, 1968-2012
- Subseries II.1: Acting and Early Career, 1968-1998
- Subseries II.2: Professional Correspondence and Activities, 1981-2011
- Subseries II.3: Publicity and Promotional Material, 1976-2012
- Subseries II.4: Fan Mail, 1977-2009
- Series III: Notebooks, 1977-2014
- Series IV: Archived Web Site, 2013-present
Using the Collection
Restrictions on Access
Rbml Advance Appointment
This collection is located off-site. Researchers will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.
This collection has no restrictions.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
Preferred Citation
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Chris Claremont Papers; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
Accruals
Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.
Ownership and Custodial History
Gift of Chris Claremont and Beth Fleisher.
Acquisition
Chris Claremont and Beth Fleisher Gift, 10/14/2011 2011-2012-M038
About the Finding Aid / Processing Information
Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Processing Information
Papers processed 11/2013 ceh
Findind aid written 12/09/2013 ceh
Addition of boxes 29-33 processed December 2018 by Rachel Klepper.
Revision Description
2013-12-10 xml document instance created by Carrie Hintz.
2013-12-10 Archives Websites Series added by Jane Gorjevsky.
2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.
Biographical Note
Chris Claremont is the internationally recognized comic book writer and novelist best known for his work on Marvel's X-Men comic books and, in particular, his 17 year stint writing the book The Uncanny X-Men.
Claremont was born in London in 1950. His family moved to the U.S. in 1952 and settled in Long Island when Claremont was eight. He attended Bard College where he studied political theory and theatre, though he was regularly writing short stories and drafting novels during his college career as well. Claremont had been an avid comic book reader throughout his youth and, while an undergraduate at Bard, he took a position as a gofer at Marvel Comics.
Upon graduating from Bard in 1972 Claremont pursued a career as an actor, though he continued to write. In 1973 he took a part-time editorial job at Marvel. In 1975 Claremont took a full time position with Marvel as a staff writer. He was hired to reinvigorate the comic The Uncanny X-Men, which, when he took over the book was one of Marvel's least popular titles. Claremont transformed the book into a bestseller for Marvel, and over the course of the next sixteen years Claremont wrote the The Uncanny X-Men and created the spin-off titles= New Mutants, Excalibur, Wolverine, and X-Men . He created, co-created, or significantly developed some of the most complex and fully developed characters in the Marvel canon. In particular, Claremont insisted upon writing strong and nuanced female characters-- a rarity for comic books at the time.
While Claremont is best known for his work on various X-Men titles, his comic career is prolific and includes his work as a writer and editor for Marvel, a free-lance career that includes stints writing for established books such as DC Comics's Justice League of America and creating original work such as the creator-owned book Sovereign Seven and fantasies such as Black Dragon and Marada, the She Wolf.
In addition to his work in the comics industry, Claremont is a prolific novelist whose work includes First Flight, the Chronicles of the Shadow War trilogy based on the George Lucas film Willow, and Dragon Moon, co-authored with his wife, editor and writer Beth Fleisher.
Subject Headings
The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.
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