The electronic spectra of C-2n(-) (n = 6-8) and C-2n+1(-) (n = 6-10) were measured in the gas phase for the first time using the REMPED technique. The spectra show common features in their electronic transitions, which characterize these species as chain-form anions. This spectroscopic data confirmed that a considerable number of chain-form carbon cluster anions are formed in a laser vaporization cluster beam with sizes up to C-21(-), but their abundance decreases with increasing size. The results also strongly suggest that the ratio of chain and ring forms produced is significantly dependent on the laser fluence conditions for the laser vaporization of graphite. In contrast to the smaller ring-form anions already reported, the species in the size range studied here (i.e., C-n(-) with 11 < n < 22) appear to be "silent" with respect to REMPED spectroscopy.