I'm Richard Polt, the creator and webmaster for The Classic Typewriter Page. I grew up loving typewriters and have been collecting them in earnest since 1994. I'm the editor of ETCetera, the magazine of the Early Typewriter Collectors' Association. I've been blogging with and about typewriters since 2010. And I'm the author of a book, The Typewriter Revolution: A Typist's Companion for the 21st Century.
The Classic Typewriter Page went live on December 9, 1995. (Here's a snapshot of the site in July 1997, minus images.) As far as I know, this was the first website about antique typewriters and typewriter collecting. My idea was to create some kind of online gathering place for people who loved old typewriters, including a place to buy and sell machines. (These were the pre-eBay days. I no longer run ads.) The concept has been a success and has helped me make many interesting contacts. The parts of the site that are currently updated most often are the online manuals and the list of typewriter repair shops. I also typically get several questions a day about typewriters, which I'm glad to answer (but check my FAQ first).
I've been teaching philosophy since 1992 at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, which hosts this site.
My contact information is here.
