WELCOME TO THE TYPEWRITER MUSEUM. The typewriter collection contains over 70 typewriters from 19 manufacturers spanning the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, from at least eight countries (United States, Japan, China, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and the Nethelands). The museum contains at least one typewriter from each decade since the 1890s. Typewriters were quite expensive when new, sometimes exceeding the equivalent cost of a laptop computer today. They are also very finely crafted and cool machines. While many are quite old, a lot of typewriters were sold and they were made to last. Therefore, old typewriters are still quite plentiful and hence most of them not very expensive. Most of my typewriters were acquired for under $20 each. I obtain most of them at local garage or estate sales and a couple from thrift stores or eBay. Some of the earlier and more unusual typewriters are valuable, however. Looking on eBay and reading books also reveals that some rare typewriters can sell for thousands of dollars.

Read on if you wish to read about my experience with computers making typewriters largely obsolete or go directly to viewing the specific typewriters. The typewriters are arranged alphbetically by brand. Within a brand, they are arranged by date. Scroll to browse or click on a specific brand.

Introduction - From Typewriters to Computers

Typewriters are one of the longest lasting technologies in modern time. The basic front stroke typebar typewriter with the QWERTY keyboard was in place by the 1890s. (See A Brief History of Typewriters.) A typebar is the slender bar with the letter on the end. Front stroke meant you could see what was being typed as you typed. QWERTY are the first 6 leters on a standard keyboard. The key pattern was designed for relative speed, but also to prevent keys from jamming. Bars with frequently used letter pairs are widely separated to prevent jams. This design continued by all major manufacturers until 1961 when the IBM Selectric introduced a typewriter with a rotating typing element that looked like a golf ball with all of the letters and symbols on it. It was somewhat similar to designs in the 1800s which had a single typing element. Some other manufacturers began to use similar elements. Finally, typewriters began to use daisy wheel elements which were a flat wheel with the letters radiating out from the center like the petals on a flower. Typebar typewriters were still made up until at least the 1980s for electric typewriters, however, and are still made today for manual typewriters. A manual typewriter made today works in basically the same way as a manual typewriter did over 100 years ago! People also still use typewriters today especially to fill in pre-printed forms or to type a quick envelope or label. Finally, the QWERTY keyboard is used even on computers today - not because it is the most efficient pattern, but because it is the pattern everyone knows. Indeed, a secretary from 1900 magically appearing today could easily type on a computer today.

Despite their long history and use today, as well as being really cool machines, typewriters are largely obsolete today. The last time I used a typewriter to actually do something other than test an old machine was probably 20 years ago and then probably just to address an envelope. Looking at garage sales, my guess is many, if not most, households no longer own a typewriter. The reason, of course, is that the functions of a typewriter have been largely superceded by computers and printers. Word processing was one of the first big uses for the personal computer and remains so today. The reason is clear. You can change, move and delete things as much as you like. Not so with a typewriter!

People in their 20s, or even 30s, and younger today may not realize how significant the switch from typewriters to computer was. I remember in high school, college and law school, slowly typing papers - or more frequently, I remember my wonderful sister typing papers for me! An error meant using "White Out" or starting over. The IBM Correcting Selectric which lifted the error off the page was wonderful but much too expensive to buy. I remember using one at my dad's office and one while dog sitting. I remember my sister typing a paper for me that needed to be 5 pages. It was too short and she had to type the whole thing over using wider margins, as I recall starting at midnight. I took a typing class in summer school after ninth grade. It was my only C grade in high school. There was also only one other boy in the class. It was the early 1970s and most people who needed to type fast for a living were secretaries and most secretaries were women. I remember we had Olympia manual typewriters. See Inkygirl.com for the repsonses of other people to the question, "Did you ever use a manual typewriter?" See also "You love these machines. These machines are dead: a love story.", The Classic Typewriter Page Presents Typewriter Tributes, @mizzou - "What's High Tech?".

I never drafted documents directly on a typewriter. Rather, I would write them out in long hand and sometimes do a second or third draft. Only then did typing begin. When I was a law clerk and young lawyer, the shift was being made from typewriters to computers. I remember as a law clerk in Eugene, Oregon, the office had one new expensive dedicated word processing computer. It could only be used for long documents. Most typing was still on typewriters. One IBM Selectric typewriter had a "mag card" machine which stored the keystrokes in memory and could be used to reprint or revise a document, but without any screen. Secretaries did all of the typing, whether on a typewriter or word processor. Attorneys and law clerks usually dictated the documents using either a hand-held or desktop recorder which the secretaries would then listen to and type out. You wanted to avoid the need for revisions if the secretary used a typewriter! Even when personal computers became commonplace in law offices, usually only the secretaries would type documents. I used a dictating machine through much of my legal career. Dictating is a skill in itself and difficult at first for a young law clerk. With time, however, it becomes much easier to "write by talking." Indeed, I think dictation helped me to think and talk on my feet and become a much better oral communicator.

While in an LL.M. program in Energy Law I wrote a 265 page thesis. The initial draft was hand written which I then paid someone to type for me. For the final draft I rented a Kaypro 4 computer. My wife helped me type it. I inserted the end notes. The word processing program, Perfect Writer, came with the computer. It allowed a split screen with the main document on the top and the endnotes on the bottom - sort of an early version of "windows" on a computer. This allowed me to easily draft the extensive endnotes. It was that Kaypro in 1984 that made me truly appreciate computers. Typing the thesis on a computer error free would have taken forever!

It was several years later before computers were on the desks of both secretaries and attorneys at most law offices. At that time I began to draft documents directly on the computer. That is the true significance of the switch from typewriters to computers. Now one could write and revise at the same time. There is no longer necessarily a first draft, second draft, etc. Rather, one can continuously revise. The end result can be a much better document if one takes the time to carefully review and polish. To write in this way one also needs to know the basics of touch typing. Once you know the basics, speed comes with time. The goal is to be able to think about your writing. The typing becomes automatic.

While computers are a powerful tool for writers, that tool can also lead to poor, sloppy, careless writing. I see this sometimes in students' writing. While teachers have always stressed, "don't copy and use your own words," computers make it easy to copy. For example, a common way for students to do a research paper is to copy and paste from the Internet (often without reading) and then just change words. There is little understanding and little original thought or synthesis. Computers can also encourage sloppy, careless writing. This is often observed in e-mail where one jots down ideas often without reflection. We become impatient using short hand words instead of standard English. For example, when I became a teacher I was surprised to learn that many students think "cause" is a substitute for "because."

One of the goals of the Typewriter Museum is for visitors to appreciate the significance of the switch from typewriters to computers. Computers are a powerful writing tool leading to clear and concise writing when used with care, precision and reflection. As an educator, I believe it is important that we explicitly teach students how to effectively write using a computer.

Adler

Blickensderfer

A partially torn label inside the case identifies Geo. C. Bornemann & [Co.] as the Pacific Coast General Agent for Blickensderfer with a picture of a Blickensderfer No. 5 on the left side with the price of $40. My guess is that a picture of the Blickensderfer No. 7 with the its price of $50 was on the right side. An address of 117 Sutter St., San Francisco is given. Page 25 of the February 1903 "Pacific States Telephone and Telegraph Company" directory for San Francisco has a listing for "James 141. Bornemann, Geo. C. & Co., Agts. Blickensderfer Typewriter, 117 Sutter." (http://www.sfgenealogy.com/sf/1903t/t3t025.htm.) There is also an 1898 listing at a different San Francisco address: "Clay 996. Bornemann, Geo. C. & Co., Pac. Coast Gen'l Agts. Blickersderfer Typewriter, 19 Monty." (http://www.sfgenealogy.com/sf/1898t/t98t012.htm.) The referenced San Francisco History and Genealogy site also has a long ad by Geo. C. Bornemann & Co. in the May 1906 New San Francisco Magazine listing a third address. The ad states:

The ad was the month after the great San Francisco earthquake and fire of April 18, 1906. See generally U.S. Geological Survey - The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. Geo. C. Bornemann & Co. moved from the Sutter Street address by May 1906, perhaps being displaced by the earthquake and fire. Indeed, in the May 1906 New San Francisco Magazine ad page many of the businesses refer to temporary addresses and there are at least two ads selling photographs of the city in ruins after the earthquake and fire. At the garage sale where I purchased the typewriter was a panoramic photograph of San Francisco after the earthquake and fire, perhaps indicating that the photo, typewriter and other items at the garage sale were from San Francisco during that period. The sellers appeared to be collectors of vintage Asian art and books. Then again, perhaps I am just watching The History Detectives too often after The Antique Roadshow on PBS on Monday nights! What is clear is that my Blickensderfer No. 7 is a wonderful piece of history and a great complement to my Blickensderfer No. 5.

Brother

Canon

Corona

Gourland

Hammond

Hermes

IBM

Oliver

Olivetti

Olympia

In addition to the standard 10 inch carriage that mine has, there was also a 13 inch wide carriage model. I found the new price for the 13 inch model in a round about way. Brookhaven National Laboratory, in their November 17, 1965 Bulletin Board newsletter, has a classified ad for “Typewriter, Olympia, model SM7 delux, w/special 13” carriage and carry-case, artistic script type – looks like handwriting, year old in perfect cond, with extra ribbons and manual, cost, $142.50; price, $75 firm.” $142.50 was a lot of money in 1964 when one considers the price of an entrée in the cafeteria, such as Stuffed Pork Chop, Roast Leg of Lamb, or Roast Sirloin of Beef au jus, was just 65 cents! Adjusted for inflation, $142.50 in 1964 equals over $980 in 2008 dollars!

Writer Kevin McGowin in his article "Why I Still Use a Manual Typewriter" in The Classic Typewriter Page Typewriter Tributes laments at giving his Olympia SM-7 away to another writer. McGowin replaced it with the SM-9 (circa 1965) which he describes as "a fine machine, but for me, one without the great action of the SM 7." As to other typewriter models in my collection, he states: "I never much cared for the Hermes 3000, and for me the Hermes Baby and especially the Rocket felt to me like typing on bathroom scales . . .." He reminisces fondly about traveling around the world with an Olivetti Lettera 32 and eventually giving it to "the great and underrated novelist, poet and playwright James Purdy." While McGowin favored the SM7 to the SM9 many prefer the basket shift of the SM9 to the carriage shift of the SM7. (In the SM9 the basket with the typeface moves up and down to switch from lower to upper case. In the SM7 the carriage moves up and down.) The SM9 actually had several variations over the years as explained at Olympia SM9 Production Breakdown. Writer Paul Auster and artist Sam Messer wrote and illustrated a book about Auster’s Olympia SM-9 called The Story of My Typewriter (Distributed Art Publishers, Inc 2002) and available at Amazon.com. It is apparent that writers like Kevin McGowin, Paul Auster and Larry McMurtry who did a tribute to his Hermes 3000 at the Golden Globe awards, respect and appreciate their typewriters which remain their faithful tools of the trade even in this age of the computer.

I used an Olympia desktop typewriter similar to the later version of the SM9 portable in a summer school typing class after my freshmen year in high school. All the students were girls except me and one other guy. I was not very good at typing. I received my only C grade in high school. While I like collecting typewriters, I actually hate using them! Viva la computer! Change is good!

Remington

Rover

Royal

Silver Reed

Smith Corona

I acquired a second one from an ad on Craigslist on Sunday June 8, 2008 in the City Heights area of San Diego, also for $10. It is also in good cosmetic and working condition with case, except the "z" key came loose from the typebar and isn't striking. I think it can be fixed, however.