Happy Typewriter Day 2013!
On July 1, 1874, the American inventor, Christopher L. Sholes brought the first commercial typewriter to the market.
In honor of this landmark event, I write today's Post in Courier font--a throwback to when Courier was one of the few type styles available on typewriters.
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You need to know I - am - a - collector in addition to being a writer, bibliomaniac, gardener, student pianist, and future bee keeper (more on bees later). With my profile in mind, I share that for the last few years I've been on a mission to find a manual typewriter. I haven't the space to collect many, but owning a few to represent different eras, platens, fonts would do nicely. As if I didn't have enough to occupy my brunette-covered cranium, this mission has become more impassioned as of late, and before the year is out it will either be done with, or will have amplified itself. No. Impossible. I haven't the space, remember.Stay tuned to Flying Pages as I pursue this quest, and in the process learn more about the machine that led us to computer keypads and boards.
Because Google is the wonder that it is, I've found the following to share with you. Sit back, close your eyes, and listen to the wonder of an acclaimed sound maker, Michael Winslow, translating the identified typewriters' clicks, clacks, phishes, and phoses. Below is a post by Macy Halford, written for "The New Yorker" online blog.
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History of the typewriter |
Did you know that Corona(1930-40)once came in colors to rival the iMac? Hmmm, Steve Jobs––I wonder if you knew?!
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I can remember recording that showcased the sound of a clock, and the typewriter.
ReplyDeleteThe clock was the Sincopated Clock *spelling?)
I can't remember the name of the typrwriter song, or perhaps it was just The Typewriter.
The sound was tap, tap, and continued until the carriage reache the end, and the bell sounded, then the carriage would be thrown (we used this term in school> and the tap, tap would begin again.Who the composer, or the recording artists were I can't remember. Though Fred Waring, he had vocals on all his recordings.
Gloria Ferrara
I dated a girl could really type fast. She had great hands!
ReplyDeleteHmmmm! Sounds to me like Hint Fiction at work here. If you want to know more, see my post Hint Fiction (1/2013)
DeleteThank you for a wonderful post on typewriters. Advances in technology are great but they seem to demand a great deal from our sense of sight and not as much from the others. Whether it's walking vs. driving, eating a scientificallly designed meal vs. indulging in an ethnic feast, or watching a professional game instead of being at the stadium, a typewriter provides an experience that word processing cannot. Not long ago I wrote out a check for a bill, filled out the invoice stub, and addressed the envelope, all on a typewriter. I enjoyed the few minutes it took, and it was quite efficient time-wise. Lastly, I enjoyed seeing the cancelled check--distinctive.
ReplyDeleteRB