The publications and collections of Louis-Albert Necker (1786–1861)

Abstract

The Swiss geologist and mineralogist Louis-Albert Necker belonged to a family rich in scientific celebrities. Though a professor at the Académie de Genève for 25 years and author of numerous publications, he is mainly remembered today for his description of the “Necker cube” optical illusion and for leaving Geneva to spend the last 20 years of his life in Portree on the Isle of Skye. As a first step towards assessing Necker's contribution to science, a full list of his publications is presented, with comments about their citation in previous bibliographies and about published translations and abridgements. Information about the surviving specimens from his scientific collections, most of which are in the Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Genève, is also presented.