Trove of classic typewriter info

The Classic Typewriter Page is a trove of typewriter pr0n, with well-written short histories of a number of significant steps from the history of writing machines, lots of photos of the old beasts, and general info on selling, valuing, fixing and buying typewriters. Link (Thanks, Dan!)

[#1 posted by Welcome to Wallyworld , August 29, 2007 3:51 AM]

That's a pretty site but there's at least another goodie out there - Mr Typewriter - he's been in the biz for over fifty years. Here he is looking for a portable he knows is somewhere in the warehouse - http://mrtypewriter.tripod.com/typewriterhunting.htm And before you ask - I've nothing to do with this guy - he just seems to be passionate about typewriters.

[#2 posted by Anonymous , August 29, 2007 4:46 AM]

I love how old typewriters look, I wish you could buy modern gadgets that had the same style. laptops and PC's are so incredibly boring.

[#3 posted by Anonymous , August 29, 2007 6:22 AM]

So is it just me, or does that typewriter look like it's smiling at us?

[#4 posted by Anonymous , August 29, 2007 6:35 AM]

Wow, glad to see this site is still around. I am a manual typewriter collector and had used this site for my very first Remington clean-up and repair. And it's been updated, as well. I had been wondering where the old Cambridge, Mass store had drifted off to, I used to buy all my ribbons there. Now it's in Arlington. If you are a typewriter fan, I suggest getting on the MBTA and take a short trip to the store, the last I was of it was a crazy dark hole in Harvard Square with more typewriters than I had ever seen in such a small space. Way too expensive for repairs and to buy refurbished models. I buy my writers at yard sales and use a bottle of Soft Scrub to make the chrome shine. It also helps to get one that works, at least in the beginning because they can be a real mystery at first. And yes, Virginia, they last forever.

[#5 posted by norbizness , August 29, 2007 6:40 AM]

The featured pic looks very Naked Lunch-ish.

[#6 posted by UncleLaszlo , August 29, 2007 6:59 AM]

There's a small exhibit featuring real live typewriters at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto until January '08. There's some other interesting exhibits happening there too. Check it out: http://www.rom.on.ca/exhibitions/special/typewriters.php

[#7 posted by Cpt. Tim , August 29, 2007 8:17 AM]

I just found an old underwood at an estate sale for 25 bucks. It was in absolutely perfect condition, and required no fixing up. no sticky keys, even the ribbon was decently inked.

i love estate sales.

[#8 posted by Anonymous , August 29, 2007 8:38 AM]

It looks very much like Wallace, and a bit like Gromit.

[#9 posted by Huffington Glue , August 29, 2007 8:56 AM]

Are their any sites like this for electric typewriters?

[#10 posted by Anonymous , August 29, 2007 8:58 AM]

Quick, zombies are chasing me - save the game!

[#11 posted by klg19 , August 29, 2007 9:48 AM]

Anonymous #8, you beat me to it. It looks EXACTLY like Wallace.

[#12 posted by the Other michael , August 29, 2007 10:03 AM]

#5, you're looking for a #9

Tip: look for an Oliver in the film "Naked Lunch," disguised as a "Mojahedin." Watch as it transforms into an obscene hallucination ....

[#13 posted by Anonymous , August 29, 2007 10:35 AM]

Sometimes I feel like we're regressed so much in terms of design. I love my iMac... but seriously. *drool*

[#14 posted by Anonymous , August 29, 2007 6:20 PM]

The typewriter is lovely, however I think it is odd how in our society people feel free to mention that they or their families were associated with 20th century communism. My ex-wife's father was in the SS during WWII and it was a deep, dark family secret. The communists murdered vastly more people than the Nazis, yet generally being a communist is considered sort of quaint and somehow morally upright. Nobody would ever toss off a remark about their father being in the KKK...

Strange.

[#15 posted by Sarah , August 29, 2007 8:25 PM]

May I also recommend this guy's site:

http://www.antiquetypewriters.com

I see him a couple of times a year at the Old Paper Show - beautiful machines.