Collection Guide for the Rynn Berry Jr. Papers Now Available

NCSU Libraries' Special Collections Research Center is happy to announce that the Rynn Berry, Jr. Papers have been fully organized and arranged, and a guide to the collection is now available to view online. The papers are an eclectic and thought-provoking collection featuring materials created and compiled by the prolific and renowned author and activist.

Rynn Berry, Jr. was an author, lecturer, and activist who dedicated his life to increasing public awareness on vegetarianism, veganism, animal rights, and the religious and ethical aspects of these. He was widely regarded as an expert on the history of vegetarianism, and he wrote many books, articles, and book entries, in addition to giving lectures and participating in discussion panels. Some of his published works, such as The Vegetarians and Famous Vegetarians and Their Favorite Recipes, profile notable vegetarians and vegans throughout history, such as Buddha, Leonardo da Vinci, Gandhi, and Paul McCartney. Berry was a practicing raw foodist and a contributing member of many vegetarian and vegan organizations. He was a resident of New York City and passed away in 2014.

The Rynn Berry Jr. Papers are dated from 1896 to 2016 and contain resources Berry used in research for his writings and presentations, as well as his own personal interests. These topics include vegetarianism, veganism, raw foodism, and animal rights, and their related activism, practice, and history. Berry was very interested in the history of vegetarianism and researched extensively its presence in the ancient world, various global movements throughout history, the lives of notable vegetarians and vegans, and religious and ethical approaches to the practice. The types of materials include books, magazines, pamphlets, manuscript drafts, copious research notes, audio, and video recordings. Some of the materials also reflect Berry's steps during his writing process, with his research items and notes, his handwritten and typed drafts, the design layouts for the completed book, and the correspondence between him and the publishers.

You can browse the collection’s items in its online finding aid, and if you are interested in viewing any materials, you can make a request via this form. You can also find copies of Rynn Berry, Jr.'s books in NCSU Libraries' catalog. To discover more information on Special Collections’ archival collections, please visit our Collection Guides, or browse through our Rare and Unique Digital Collections.