Frank W. Tober papermaking and paper samples collection
Scope and Content Note
Frank W. Tober collected this wide variety of paper specimens and samples from around the world, including manufacturer's paper sample books, catalogs, individual paper specimens, and a portion of St. Louis collector and bookbinder Francis T. Guelker's collection on the history and craft of bookbinding and papermaking. It also includes a variety of books, articles, pamphlets, brochures, and other printed ephemera relating to all aspects of papermaking and the book arts.
Dates
- Creation: circa 1050, 1850-1993
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1920-1990
Creator
- Tober, Frank W., 1919-1995 (Person)
Language of Materials
Materials in English, German, and Italian.
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce isrequired from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections Department, University of Delaware Library, https://library.udel.edu/static/purl.php?askspec
Biographical Note
Frank W. Tober was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1919. As a youth, he was an avid reader who enjoyed history and literature, but he was particularly interested in the sciences. Following his graduation from high school in 1937, he enrolled at Michigan Technological University where he earned his bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1941. He subsequently received a master's degree in chemical engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1941 and a doctorate in physical chemistry from Yale University in 1948. Tober went on to have a long, successful career with the Du Pont Company.
Dr. Tober maintained a wide range of book collecting interests, including the history of printing and publishing, the history of papermaking and the manufacture of paper, the era of Napoleon and the French Revolution, and contemporary fine printing and book arts. However, the cornerstone of Dr. Tober's personal library was his collection on literary forgery, which includes examples of forgeries from all periods.
Dr. Tober bequeathed his collection to the University of Delaware Library following his death on June 24, 1995. The Frank W. Tober collection comprises nearly four thousand books and periodicals, hundreds of manuscripts and papers, and a variety of other materials, including artwork and ephemera.
Extent
7 linear foot (7 boxes)
4 oversize box
Abstract
Frank W. Tober collected this wide variety of paper specimens and samples from around the world, including manufacturer's paper sample books, catalogs, individual paper specimens, and a portion of St. Louis collector and bookbinder Francis T. Guelker's collection on the history and craft of bookbinding and papermaking.
Source
Gift of Frank W. Tober estate, 1995.
Shelving Summary
- Boxes 1-7: Shelved in SPEC MSS record center cartons
- Boxes 8-10: Shelved in SPEC MSS oversize boxes (17 inches)
- Box 11: Shelved in SPEC MSS oversize boxes (28 inches)
Processing
Processed by Timothy D. Murray and Teresa K. Nevins, 2008-2009. Encoded by Teresa K. Nevins, July 2009.
Subject
- Tober, Frank W., 1919-1995 (Person)
- Curtis Paper Company (Organization)
- Bird & Bull Press (Organization)
- Pickering Press (Organization)
- Institute of Paper Chemistry (Appleton, Wis.) (Organization)
- Guelker, Francis T., 1922- (Collector, Person)
Genre / Form
- Book cloth (textile material)
- Decorated papers
- Japanese paper (handmade paper)
- Paper (fiber product)
- Printed ephemera
- Sample books
Occupation
Topical
- Title
- Finding aid for Frank W. Tober papermaking and paper samples collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- University of Delaware Library, Special Collections
- Date
- 2009 July 30
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the University of Delaware Library Special Collections Repository