David P. Dillard writes “MyTypewriter is a commercial website that sells old typewriters. It is a
good place to remember what it was like before personal computers, word
processing and email that lands in inboxes before one has the time to grab
a sip of coffee after the send key has been hit. So get out those typo
correction ribbons and have a look at this internet site.
MyTypewriter.com
There are collections of both desktop and portable typewriters as well as
typing supplies such as ribbons available for sale. Even the sales
information about specific typewriters contains important information for
anyone wanting to learn the history of typewriters or doing a research
project about these tools.
Below you’ll find a HUGE collection O’ links…
David P. Dillard writes “MyTypewriter is a commercial website that sells old typewriters. It is a
good place to remember what it was like before personal computers, word
processing and email that lands in inboxes before one has the time to grab
a sip of coffee after the send key has been hit. So get out those typo
correction ribbons and have a look at this internet site.
MyTypewriter.com
There are collections of both desktop and portable typewriters as well as
typing supplies such as ribbons available for sale. Even the sales
information about specific typewriters contains important information for
anyone wanting to learn the history of typewriters or doing a research
project about these tools.
Below you’ll find a HUGE collection O’ links…”In 1926, Underwood replaced its 3-row model with a improved standard
4-row keyboard portable. The early version of this 4-row portables were
labeled as the “Underwood Standard Portable” on the front of the frame
while the later ones simply had the “Underwood Portable” decals. Some of
the Underwood portables were in colors.”
http://www.mytypewriter.com/item.html?PRID=160461
The site does contain valuable information as well as serve as a place
to
purchase typewriters and other related items such as ribbons. The
history
of typewriters may be found on this site commencing at this URL:
http://www.mytypewriter.com/generic.html?pid=21
There is also a significant group of references to related websites to
be
found on the “Typewriter Related Links” page
Typewriter Related Links
http://www.mytypewriter.com/generic.html?pid=55
One interesting link is The Virtual Typewriter Museum.
http://www.typewritermuseum.org/
One section of the museum is the museum library that has Links,
Literature
and Photo archives.
http://www.typewritermuseum.org/lib/library.html
The virtual library contains book titles, and lists of historical
materials, and an extenxive photo archive.
Art
Books
Image archives
Historical publications
Courses
Links
Since this topic may be of interest to some, I have located a few
additional links that may or may not be found on the links pages of
MyTypewriter.com or the virtual museum.
A Brief History of Typewriters
http://xavier.xu.edu:8000/~polt/tw-history.html
The parent page to the above page.
The Classic Typewriter Page
http://xavier.xu.edu:8000/~polt/typewriters.html
Page Contents
A Brief History of Typewriters
Illustrated highlights.
Typewriter of the Month
A writing machine gallery.
Remington Portables
More than you ever wanted to know about these little charmers.
Typewriter Parts
What to call the whatchamacallits.
Frequently Asked Questions
“What’s my Woodstock worth?” and other inquiries.
The Percy Smock Corner
Resources for the typewriter collector.
Basic Typewriter Restoration
How to make it shine.
Reviving a Hammond 1
The rebirth of an early gem.
Publicly Displayed Typewriters
Where to meet early writing machines in person.
Typewriter Repair Shops
Where to get it fixed.
My Own Collection
Writing machines I’ve amassed.
Ten Most Wanted Typewriters
An illustrated wish list.
The Typewriter Mailing Lists
Meet other fanatics.
See the Flying Oliver fly!
And read a brilliant poem, too.
Why I Use A Manual
True confessions of a fiction writer, by Kevin McGowin.
Typology: A Phenomenology of Early Typewriters
The metaphysical significance of writing machines.
Is This Old Typewriter Proof of Life After Death?
Pronouncements of the heavenly Hammond.
Typewriter-Related Links
The excitement just keeps on going…
———————
History of the IBM Typewriter
http://www.etypewriters.com/history.htm
A timeline history of the IBM Typewriter with old ads to show what the
machines looked like. Click on the thumbnail to see an enlargement of
that ad. Links to featured related sites are also found on this page.
———————
Selected Bibliography of Typewriters and Related Office Machines
http://www.si.edu/resource/faq/nmah/typewrit.htm
Information or research assistance regarding typewriters and office
machines is frequently requested from the Smithsonian Institution. The
following information has been prepared to assist those interested in
this
topic.
———————
There is a Yahoo Groups group with almost four hundred members and a
public archives that is very active. Membership in any Yahoo Group
requires free Yahoo membership.
TYPEWRITERS
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TYPEWRITERS/
This may be an elite type writing group as the name is in upper case.
———————
Typewriters, Qwerty & Typing
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bltyewriter.htm
Sample of Links found on this site:
Early Typewriter History
The first practical typewriter was invented by Christopher Latham
Sholes,
and was marketed by the Remington Arms company in 1873.
Early Office Museum – Typewriters
Large features, many photos, and several pages add up to a highly
recommended site on typewriters.
The First Typewriter
It was called the “Sholes & Glidden Type Writer,” and it was
produced by
the gunmakers E. Remington & Sons in Ilion, NY from 1874-1878.
A Brief History of Typewriters
Illustrated highlights, typewriter patents date back to 1713.
The First Commercial Typewriter
The first practical typewriter was conceived by three American inventors
and friends in 1867: Christopher Latham Sholes, Carlos Glidden, and
Samual
W. Soule.
The First American Typewriter Patent
The first American patent for a typewriter was granted in 1829 to
William
Austin Burt from Detroit.
———————
Collecting the history of writing and of typewriters.
http://home.planet.nl/~bouwl003/english/historie2.html
“Collecting typewriters. The first mechanical writers did not have
visible written text. First it was a machine for the blinds. Later on
the
first typewriters had a upstrike mechanism. And, during typing, not
visible for the writer.”
———————
Typewriter Timeline
WRITING MACHINE/TYPEWRITER INVENTORS PRE 1900
From Lady Typewriter
http://www.ladytypewriter.co.uk/typewriter-timeline.htm
———————
Early Typewriter History
http://sites.waldonet.net.mt/oshea/jo00002.htm
THE RACE TO PATENT AN EFFICIENT, SPEEDY WRITING MACHINE FOR OFFICE AND
DOMESTIC USE REACHED A CLIMAX AT THE END OF THE 19TH CENTURY.
———————
Early Typewriter History
http://www.mit.edu/~jcb/Dvorak/history.html
The first practical typewriter was invented by Christopher Latham
Sholes,
and was marketed by the Remington Arms company in 1873. The action of
the
type bars in the early typewriters was very sluggish, and tended to jam
frequently. To fix this problem, Sholes obtained a list of the most
common
letters used in English, and rearranged his keyboard from an alphabetic
arrangement to one in which the most common pairs of letters were spread
fairly far apart on the keyboard. Because typists at that time used the
“hunt-and-peck” method, Sholes’s arrangement increased the time it took
for the typists to hit the keys for common two-letter combinations
enough
to ensure that each type bar had time to fall back sufficiently far to
be
out of the way before the next one came up. Note that Sholes hadn’t
imagined that typing would ever be faster than handwriting, which is
usually around 20 words per minute (WPM) or less.
———————
Google Directory
Typewriters
Recreation > Antiques > Typewriters Go to Directory Home
http://directory.google.com/Top/Recreation/Antiques/Typewriters/
Related Categories:
Computers > Hardware > Peripherals > Keyboards
> Qwerty (8
I hope that this is the type of post that readers of this list like to
see
and that its contents will form a key part of your learning about this
subject.
Sincerely,
David Dillard
Temple University
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re:typewriters
A couple of years ago, I was obsessed with collecting old typewriters. I do not collect typewriters anymore and my wallet has not been happier (i.e., a very expensive hobby).