Typewriters from the archives
That comment thread on e-books versus traditional print reminded me of a minor quest I’ve been on for awhile:
Word processing makes writing too easy. I need a typewriter.
So I ran a Google search on “typewriter seattle.” This is one of the items that came up, apparently from Time Magazine circa 1925:
Typewriter Excellence
The usually incomplete and frequently unreliable press despatches reported last week from Seattle the introduction of a new type of Japanese typewriter in Japanese wholesale houses of Washington. It has but one key and types 7,026 characters in addition to the English alphabet. A small index is supplied to enable the operator to look up unusual characters. The machine types 60 words a minute. Having gathered all the seemingly impossible features of the invention and having failed to mention the means by which such marvels are performed (as they may or may not be), the newspaper reports said nothing further.
East Coast editors never did have an appreciation for Seattle innovation.
Just FYI, I got the typewriter I have now at Value Village for $6, with a case, and it works perfectly. Replacement ribbons can still be found on the internet, cheap.
I’m debating between the practical-but-less-cool Selectric-style typewriters that I’ve seen around Value Village and the impractical-but-completely-necessary old Smith -Corona. (Or, more to the point, some variant that hasn’t already gone to $160 on eBay.) No decisions yet.
Yeah, those old Smith-Coronas are wicked sexy, and typing on them sounds fantastic. I’ve always wanted one, but they’re getting harder and harder to find in decent shape.
20Twenty in Ballard has some great typewriters that are generally affordable…