Max J. Adjarian collection
Andrew Lippert, Special Collections Processing Archivist
Special Collections & University Archives
The UCR Library
P.O. Box 5900
University of California
Riverside, California 92517-5900
Phone: 951-827-3233
Fax: 951-827-4673
Email: specialcollections@ucr.edu
URL: http://library.ucr.edu/libraries/special-collections-university-archives
© August 2023
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Max J. Adjarian collection
Date (inclusive): circa 1500-1999
Collection Number: MS 324
Creator:
Adjarian, Max J.
Extent:
63.27 linear feet
(49 boxes and 20 items)
Repository:
Rivera Library. Special Collections Department.
Abstract: This collection contains book binding tools and supplies, press equipment, and some business documents collected and used
by Max J. Adjarian, a Master Bookbinder and restorer.
Languages: The collection includes a number of languages including English, French, and Latin.
Access
This collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright Unknown: Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction,
and/or commercial use, of some materials may be restricted by gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and
publicity rights, licensing agreement(s), and/or trademark rights. Distribution or reproduction of materials protected by
copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. To the extent other restrictions
apply, permission for distribution or reproduction from the applicable rights holder is also required. Responsibility for
obtaining permissions, and for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Preferred Citation
[identification of item], [date if possible]. Max J. Adjarian collection (MS 324). Special Collections & University Archives,
University of California, Riverside.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Frederick and Catherine Adjarian, 2008.
Biographical Note
Max J. Adjarian was a Master Bookbinder specializing in conservation, preservation, and restoration of rare books, manuscripts,
codices, incunabula, and gilding during a well-travelled career spanning more than 50 years. He was born in 1929 in Paris,
France, where he spent his early years and survived the Great Depression and Nazi occupation during WWII. After the war, he
served as a paratrooper in French colonial North Africa in 1948. Max applied to and was selected for a highly competitive
position at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BNF), in 1949 after his military service was completed, where he was trained
as a Master Bookbinder. He spent several years working at the BNF as a restorer of rare books before venturing off to spend
the rest of his life working as an independent bookbinder, contracting and consulting with a wide range of institutions and
private individuals. Max was invited to work with the Board of Trustees at Cornell University Library to restore the rare
books in their collections as well as advise on acquisitions, conservation, and preservation. He spent four years at Cornell
before being invited to Kansas University in 1955 by their chancellor, Dr. Franklin Murphy, to restore and conserve their
rare books, codices, maps, and manuscripts. In 1960, Dr. Murphy was appointed the chancellor of UCLA and quickly invited Max
to accompany him to California. In addition to working extensively with UCLA, Max would work with a number of other academic
institutions, locally, across the country, and internationally. His clients included the University of Southern California,
The Huntington Library, Boston Historical Society, Emory University, and many more. Mr. Adjarian's artistic legacy spanned
the restoration of various bibliophilic treasures: the Gutenberg Bible; Audubon's Book of American Birds; the 1495/1619 editions
of Aristotle's Opera Omnia [by Venetian typographer Aldus Manutius]; Aldine rare books printed between 1495-1550 [from UCLA's
Ahmanson-Murphy Aldine Collection]; creating slipcases to preserve first edition Victorian fiction from the UCLA Michael T.
Sadleir Collection; plus notable restoration projects for the William Andrews Clarke Memorial Library; the UCLA Dr. Louise
M. Darling Biomedical, and Dr. Elmer Belt Vinciana Collections. Adjarian was also sought out for his expertise to work on
privately held items and collections. Max relocated to Tucson, AZ in the mid-1990s where he continued operating his bindery
and completing client projects until his death in 2002.
This biographical note was written in collaboration with Fred Adjarian in 2023.
Collection Scope and Contents
Max J. Adjarian was a Master Bookbinder and restorer, trained in Paris, who worked primarily in the United States during his
50+ year career. This collection is comprised of some of the tools, supplies and materials that he used in his craft. The
contents of the collection include hand-tools, such as: compositors, burnishing wheels, gilding tools, cutting tools, layout
and design tools, and more. There are also typesets, book boards, leather, vellum, marbled endpaper, paper scraps from prior
disbinding/rebinding projects, bookplates, gold leaf, and other supplies and materials used in book binding. Several pieces
of bindery equipment and presses were also donated as part of the collection (these larger pieces are not readily accessible
for viewing).
Arrangement
The Max J. Adjarian collection is arranged into 4 series, as outlined below. The bulk of the items in Series 1 and 2 are housed
in small boxes that are then collected in larger, numbered boxes.
- Series 1. Tools
- Series 2. Supplies & Materials
- Series 3. Bindery Equipment
- Series 4. Bindery Documents
Tool identifications
A number of tool and equipment identifications, along with their uses, were done in consultation with Fred Adjarian, son of
Max J. Adjarian and one of the donors of the collection.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
Bookbinding
Genres and Forms of Materials
Clippings (information artifacts)
Tools
Tools
undated
Series Scope and Contents
This series contains tools and other small equipment used by Max J. Adjarian for book conservation, restoration, and binding.
Some of the tools were hand-made by Mr. Adjarian, while others were purchased new or acquired from mentors or other binderies
that went out of business.
Box 6
Hand-made cutters and scrapers
undated
Scope and Contents
44 cutters, scrapers, blades, and knives, most of which are hand-made from pieces of steel.
Box 11
Punches or Awls
undated
Scope and Contents
Two narrow, wooden-handled punches or awls.
Box 25
Compositors
undated
Scope and Contents
There are 15 compositors, which are individually numbered 1-15. Compositor #15 holds type set to read "Max J. Adjarian Collection"
and was presented to the UCR Library by Fred Adjarian when the collection was donated.
Compositors are used to arrange type for printing and gilding.
Box 25, Box 26
Gilding tools and irons
undated
Scope and Contents
There are 9 gilding tools, which are individually numbered 16-23 and 25. Gilding irons 20, 21, and 22 have pre-set type that
read "USC Hancook Library", "Clark Library", and "Max J. Adjarian Marina del Rey Co.", respectively. Gilding iron #23 has
a fleuron pattern.
Tool #16 in Box 25; tools #17-23 and 25 in Box 26
Box 39
Burnishing irons
undated
Scope and Contents
There are 6 burnishing irons. Four have agate heads. There are also three wooden burnishing iron handles without heads. Burnishing
irons are used to seal, finish, and buff leather.
Box 26
Calipers
undated
Scope and Contents
Tool #26
Box 26
Spine scraper
undated
Scope and Contents
Tool #27. Used for scraping a spine during restoration work in preparation for re-backing.
Box 26
Jasper brush
undated
Scope and Contents
Tool #28
Box 26
Ink screens
undated
Scope and Contents
Tools # 29 and 30
Box 27
Spoke shaves
undated
Scope and Contents
Tools #31 and #32
Box 27
Leather mallet
undated
Scope and Contents
Tool #33
Box 27, Box 35, Box 36
Rolling wheels
undated
Scope and Contents
Rolling wheels used for creating gold edging on leather book covers.
Tool #34 in Box 27; tool #38 in Box 35; and tool #39 in Box 36
Box 26
Yoke for wheeled tool
undated
Scope and Contents
Tool #35, this is a yoke for a rolling wheel, burnishing weel, or other type of guilding tool
Box 27
Awl
undated
Scope and Contents
Tool #36
Box 27
Cookie cutter
undated
Scope and Contents
Tool #37
Box 27, Box 33, Box 34
Burnishing wheels
undated
Scope and Contents
Burnishing wheels used to seal, finish, and buff leather. Tool #40 in Box 33; tool #41 in Box 34; and tool #42 in Box 27.
Box 27
Chisels
undated
Scope and Contents
Tools #43-45
Box 27
Scraping tool (?)
undated
Scope and Contents
Tool #46, presumed to be some type of scraping tool
Box 27
Files
undated
Scope and Contents
Tools #47 and #48
Box 14
Sharpening or grinding stone
undated
Scope and Contents
Tool #49
Box 27
Wooden printing blocks
undated
Scope and Contents
Tools #50-52, wooden blocks used for full page printing
Box 28
Compasses
undated
Scope and Contents
Tools #53-60, drafting compasses of various sizes
Box 28
Unidentified tool
undated
Scope and Contents
Tool #61, this is an unidentified tool with flanges
Box 8
Oil dispenser can
undated
Box 9
Assorted tools
undated
Physical Description:
9 Items
Scope and Contents
Box includes wooden spoon, calipers, small hammer, 2 awls, pliers, small file, block of graphite (?), and an unidentified
tool.
Box 10
Metal scraps and spacers
undated
Scope and Contents
Box of loose scraps of metal and spacers that were used in setting type. Items are made of brass, zinc, and possibly aluminum.
Box 11
Small hand plane
undated
Scope and Contents
Small bull-nose hand plane from Millers Falls Tools
Box 11
Grinding stone wheel
undated
Box 11
Wax Block
undated
Scope and Contents
Wax used for lubricating string for book sewing
Box 19
Oil Stone (?) [Pierre a Huile]
undated
Scope and Contents
This item is a large, dense, flat stone that appears to have been used for fine tool sharpening.
Box 20
Hammers
undated
Scope and Contents
Box contains two hammers, one has a broken handle.
Box 28
Wooden tool handles
undated
Scope and Contents
Four spare wooden tool handles
Box 29
Wood press blocks
undated
Scope and Contents
This box contains 11 wooden boards that are used with book presses.
Box 31
Tool box
undated
Scope and Contents
Orange, plastic fishing tackle box that was used as a toolbox. Contains a variety of small tools and supplies.
Box 32
Tool box
undated
Scope and Contents
Small metal green, open topped tool box. Contains a variety of tools and supplies.
Box 43
Type setting board with sets of type
undated
Item 1
Type setting board
undated
Item 2
Unidentified wooden tool
undated
Scope and Contents
An unidentified wooden tool with handles on both sides of a rectangular block that has a channel and hole (orthogonal to each
other).
Item 3
Fût à rogner
undated
Scope and Contents
A wooden fût à rogner, used to trim text blocks.
Item 4
Wooden book cradle
undated
Supplies and Materials
1500-1999
Series Scope and Contents
The items in this series are consumable materials and supplies used in the course of book conservation, restoration, and binding.
This includes book covers, leather, endpaper, sewing thread, and more.
Box 7
Assorted spine covers
Scope and Contents
Five loose/detached spine covers. Box also includes rigid leather strip mounted on cardboard and a strip of carboard with
sand paper.
Box 11
Wax block
Scope and Contents
Wax used for lubricating sewing string.
Box 1, Folders 3 - 5
Paper Scraps and Bookplates
16th through 19th centuries, undated
Scope and Contents
The pieces of scrap paper in these folders are primarily paste down pages from books that were disassembled or rebound. Also
included are many bookplates. Many of the materials are undated, but dates found span the 16th through 19th centuries.
Box 1, Folder 6
Vellum book cover
undated
Box 2, Folders 1 - 37
Handwriting samples
Scope and Contents
These 37 folders contain different sets of scraps of paper with hand-written text. There is no #2 folder and the last folder
is a miscellaneous assortment of scraps.
Box 2, Folder 38
Book binding paper scrap
undated
Box 2, Folder 39
Paper scraps with writing and drawings
undated
Box 2, Folder 40
Paper scraps with print
undated
Box 2, Folder 41
Paper scrap with drawings and hand-written text
undated
Box 2, Folder 42 & 43
Paper scraps with print
undated
Box 2, Folder 44
Paper and vellum scraps
undated
Box 3, Box 4, Box 12, Box 15, Box 16, Box 40, Box 41, Box 42, Box 44, Box 45, Box 46
Book Boards
undated
Scope and Contents
These boxes include a variety of book boards that span a wide range of sizes. Some of them are front and back, both attached
by a spine and separated, and some single covers.
Box 5
Book sewing string and yarn
undated
Box 8
Red Clay or Chalk
undated
Scope and Contents
Red clay or chalk stored in a glass jar, used for dying leather or other materials.
Box 17, Box 18
Typesets
undated
Scope and Contents
Box 17 contains three small sets of type and Box 18 contains 4 wooden cases containing typesets.
Box 21
Vellum book covers
undated
Box 22
Book binding fittings and metal hardware
undated
Scope and Contents
This box contains numerous small metal clasps, buckles, straps, and other fasteners used in early modern European book binding.
Box 23, Box 24, Box 38
Leather pieces and scraps
undated
Scope and Contents
These three boxes contain approximately 100 assorted leather pieces and scraps, primarily red-brown and black.
Box 28
Unfinished binding
1831
Scope and Contents
This item is a book that has an unfinished binding. The textblock is sewn, it has an exposed spine, and there are temporary
cardboard covers on front and back. The book is from Dove's Press. Volume includes a book dealer description.
Box 30
Small parts organizer
undated
Scope and Contents
This is a small parts organizer (as one would use to hold screws, nails, bolts, buttons, etc) with 25 small drawers. Materials
contained include: miscellanous small items, dice, cotton swabs, typesets, brass and copper spacers, picture frame hooks,
and more.
Box 37
Book endpaper
undated
Scope and Contents
Various color marbled endpaper for pasting down to the inside of cover boards.
Animal skin
undated
Physical Description:
2 Items
Scope and Contents
A mostly intact (cut off at the neck), cured animal skin approximately the size of a goat or sheep. It is off-white with reddish
brown mottling. Also a large scrap of thick leather (rolled).
Box 48
Rolls of decorative paste down or end paper
undated
Scope and Contents
Similar to marbled paper, but with stripe patterns.
Box 49
Rolls of leather, parchment, and book cover cloth
undated
Scope and Contents
16 rolls
Bindery Equipment
undated
Restricted Items
These items are not readily moveable and are stored in a variety of locations that prohibit access, as such, they have been
restricted.
Series Scope and Contents
The items in this series are presses and other large book binding equipment that were part of Max J. Adjarian's bindery and
included as part of the donation.
Item 5
Percussion cast-iron press (
presse à satiner)
undated
Access
This item is not available for viewing.
Item 6
Wooden book sewing machine (
cousoirs en bois)
undated
Access
This item is not available for viewing.
Scope and Contents
This is used for sewing the bindings on book spines.
Item 7
Backing press (
presse a rogner)
undated
Access
This item is not available for viewing.
Scope and Contents
Used for shaping book spines.
Item 8
Jacques board shear (
cisaille à carton)
undated
Access
This item is not available for viewing.
Item 9
Small wooden jobbacker
undated
Physical Location: This item is actively used in the book preservation lab.
Access
This item is not available for viewing.
Item 10
Small wooden jobbacker
undated
Physical Location: This item is actively used in the book preservation lab.
Access
This item is not available for viewing.
Item 11
Large wooden jobbacker
undated
Physical Location: This item is actively used in the book preservation lab.
Access
This item is not available for viewing.
Item 12
Large book press
undated
Physical Location: This item is actively used in the book preservation lab.
Scope and Contents
Similar to a
presse à satiner
Access
This item is not available for viewing.
Item 13
Jobbacker on stand
undated
Access
This item is actively used in the book preservation lab.
Acess
This item is not available for viewing.
Scope and Contents
Similar to a
presse a rogner, used for shaping book spines.
Item 14
Paper cutter
undated
Physical Location: This item is located in the Orbach Library.
Access
This item is not available for viewing.
Item 15
Guillotine
undated
Access
This item is not available for viewing.
Item 16
Fortuna leather skiving machine
undated
Access
This item is not available for viewing.
Scope and Contents
Machine used for thinning leather so that it more easily wraps around book cover boards.
Item 17, Item 18
Finishing presses
undated
Access
These items are unaccessible for viewing.
Other Bindery Materials
1957-1987, undated
Series Scope and Contents
Included in the collection are a small number of documents related to Mr. Adjarian's bindery business. These include tool
catalogs, receipts, and branding materials.
Box 1, Folder 1
Bindery Documents and Catalogs
1957, 1963, 1987, undated
Box 1, Folder 2
Christie's East Bookbinding Tools and Equipment Auction Catalog
1980
Box 2, Folder 46, Flat-File-Folder 01
Adjarian shop sign proofs
undated
Oversized
See also oversized folders
Flat-File-Folder 02
Design Pattern
undated
Language of Material: French.
Flat-File-Folder 03
Shop Sign and Branding Masking
undated
Flat-File-Folder 04
Facsimile of Declaration of Independence
undated