Writers hold a reverence for typewriters similar to the reverence fly fishermen have for antique fly tackle; you don’t necessarily have to use the stuff to fall in love with it.
My first writing projects were pounded out on a typewriter (is GeezerWriter.com available?), and while my 70s electric was hardly an antique, I’m like most writers – I still get goose bumps when I see an old typewriter.
It’s akin to the feeling a lot of fly fishermen get when they see that familiar, wheat colored flash of a bamboo fly rod.
Basically, you can’t look away.
That’s why antiquetypewriters.com stopped me in my tracks.
For those with a penchant for the machines that writers formerly used to put words to paper, the lovingly photographed antiquetypewriters.com site represents the motherload.
In an era when novels are being written on cell phones, big, clunky typewriters have undergone a transformation.
In simple terms, they no longer bear the burden of functioning as useful tools.
They’ve become little mechanical works of art.
While I wouldn’t trade my out-of-control text processor addiction for a typewriter (I can stop any time I want), I admit writing’s current “fire hose” approach to productivity lacks the elegance of thinking first, and writing second.
Then again, I’m not wholly blinded by the nostalgia of these things. After all, writers have a reputation for hitting the bottle pretty hard – a trait I once suggested was the result of typewriter use in the pre Liquid Paper/self-correcting ribbon era.
See you at the keyboard, Tom Chandler.
Great post. I love old typewriters. I remember how intimidating it was for us as boys to take typing in high school. I always keep my eyes peeled for old typewriters. I have a few old machines and even use them. Perhaps is is my last name that causes the affinity.
Lawrence Underwood(Quote)
My father made me take a typing course in Y.M.C.A. summer school. He was a pharmacist, typed with the index fingers of both hands, and was faster than most of the other people typing prescription labels.
Kentucky Jim(Quote)
This machine is a peace of art. I would buy something like this for my collection.
Montura Primavara(Quote)
I managed to get through both high school and college with a Smith-Corona portable. While I did suffer through a typing class with a bunch of business types (?!?), I was finally able to get a passing grade of 80 words a minute.
That was back in the Dark Ages. There were even analog gadgets for doing advanced math calculations. They called them slide-rules! Now, I’ve got to do a Google and find out if there’s a page for them, too.
Of course, computers have ruined my typing skills. All Hail, Analog!
JJP(Quote)
Yes, my little brother (the scientist in the family) got my dad’s well-worn slide rule. In fact, I believe it was crafted from bamboo, adding a neat symmetry to this whole thread.
Tom Chandler(Quote)