Resources for the Typewriter Collector

by Richard Polt

The Typewriter Revolution:
A Typist's Companion for the 21st Century

Available now

A page in honor of Percy Smock, who was collecting typewriters
back when only eccentrics would do such a thing.

"Percy Smock of Redwood City, California, with a few Antiques from his Large Collection"
From Bruce Bliven's The Wonderful Writing Machine (1954)
To learn more about Mr. Smock, read this post by Robert Messenger.

An avid typewriter collector had just driven eighty miles after work to pick up a rare Royal Grand that he had finally found after years of searching. As he drove home with his prize, it was dark and he was becoming sleepy. He decided to pull off the interstate to get some coffee. He had barely tasted his first sip, when, much to his horror, he realized that he had left the Grand exposed on the back seat of his unlocked car. He jumped up and ran into the parking lot to his car, but saw he was too late. The back window had been smashed...and there were two more typewriters beside his prize!

Typewriter collectors are relatively few, and tend to be men. Most are considered incurably weird by their significant others. As you might expect, many of us are professionally involved with writing or technology. In the U.S. there are several hundred collectors, but nine out of ten are casual collectors who own only a few old machines. The hobby is a bit more popular in Europe, particularly Germany.

Since this site first went online, in late 1995, interest in typewriters has grown. That's partly because they have almost become obsolete. Many children have never even seen a typewriter. This gives these machines the allure of the archaic. Recently, our hobby has gotten a good amount of press -- partly thanks to this Web site, I'm happy to say. We can only expect that interest will continue to grow. (Well-known typewriter lovers include Tom Hanks and Lady Gaga.) My book The Typewriter Revolution documents the new popularity of typewriters in the 21st century.

Good information about typewriters can be hard to find, but digging it up is part of the fun--and in recent years a number of helpful books have been published. The listing below is by no means exhaustive, but I try to cover all the most important resources.

Books in print

• Allan, Tony. Typewriter: The History, The Machines, The Writers. Shelter Harbor Press, 2015. A short but colorful introduction to the typewriter world.
  
• Blickensderfer, Robert and Paul Robert. The Five-Pound Secretary. Virtual Typewriter Museum, 2003. A handsome book all about the great Blickensderfer, written in part by a descendant of its inventor. Follow the link to order the book.
• Casillo, Anthony. Typewriters: Iconic Machines from the Golden Age of Mechanical Writing. Chronicle Books, 2017. Casillo takes a close look at many models, from the Sholes & Glidden to the Valentine. Preface by Tom Hanks.
  
• Collector's Guide to Antique Typewriters. Reprint of The Typewriter Topics Encyclopedia of Typewriters (1923), published by the Post Group. This was long the bible for English-speaking typewriter collectors; it lists all major and most minor typewriters made up to 1923, and describes them in an entertaining if verbose manner. This reprint includes many reproductions of advertisements. Available from Office Machine Americana for $12.95. Also reprinted by Dover, edited by Victor Linoff (see below).
• Current, Richard N. The Typewriter and the Men Who Made It. Reprint by the Post Group of a 1950s study of the invention of the Sholes & Glidden. Good reading. Available from Office Machine Americana for $17.95.
• Dale, Rodney and Rebecca Weaver. Machines in the Office. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993. A short, popular book that covers typewriters, telegraphs, telephones, dictation machines, computers, and more. Gives you a sense of the context in which typewriters were invented. Entertaining, and includes many good illustrations. Information on typewriters is not very reliable, though.
• James, Duncan. Old Typewriters. London: Shire Publications, 1993. Shire Album #293. $7.25. A small pamphlet that attractively presents the essentials of typewriter mechanisms and has some nice black-and-white photographs.
• Linoff, Victor (ed). The Typewriter: An Illustrated History. New York: Dover Publications, 2000. A reprint of the 1923 Typewriter Topics Encyclopedia of Typewriters. An important early source that includes lots of usually-reliable data. The same book is available in a smaller format with reproductions of early advertisements, under the name Collector's Guide to Antique Typewriters (see above).
• Mares, G.C. History of the Typewriter, Successor to the Pen. London: Guilbert Pitman, 1909. Reprinted by the Post Group. An excellent early "buyer's guide" to writing machines. Available from Office Machine Americana for $24.95.
• Messenger, Robert. The Magnificent 5 (And 250 Other Great Things About Portable Typewriters). 2011. A very entertaining full-color book of trivia and opinions about portable typewriters. Order from the author (owner of the Australian Typewriter Museum) at oztypewriter@hotmail.com.
• Morton, Jett. The Oliver Typewriter Company: Machines and History. 2011. $19.95 at Lulu.com. A very clear and informative rundown of Oliver history and models, well-known and obscure, American and British. Everyone who owns an Oliver ought to have this book.
• Mullaney, Thomas S. The Chinese Typewriter: A History. MIT Press, 2017. A close look at Chinese typewriters reveals interesting facts about the machines, the Chinese language, its script, and ergonomics.
  
• Polt, Richard. The Typewriter Revolution: A Typist's Companion for the 21st Century.  Countryman Press, 2015. My book, unlike the others in this list, is not primarily a history, but a report on the contemporary typewriter renaissance and a how-to guide for those wishing to use a typewriter.
  
• Robert, Paul. Sexy Legs and Typewriters. Virtual Typewriter Museum, 2004. "Women in office-related advertising, humor, glamour, and erotica." A different sort of book, not for those who disapprove of "R"-rated material. Follow the link to order the book.
• Robert, Paul and Peter Weil. Typewriter: A Celebration of the Ultimate Writing Machine. Sterling, 2016. A colorful, entertaining collection of photos and facts about a variety of interesting machines.
  
• Russo, Thomas. Mechanical Typewriters: Their History, Value, and Legacy. Schiffer Publishing, 2002. Written by a former Remington man who has a fabulous collection and museum. Not the best in terms of completeness or accuracy, but notable for fine photographs of Russo's machines, including some very unusual items. A separate chapter on Remingtons is probably the most complete account of that make in print. Value estimates are reasonable. By the same author: Office Collectibles: 100 Years of Business Technology. Both books are also available directly from the author: Russo & Associates, LLC, 1200 Philadelphia Pike, Suite 220, Wilmington, DE 19809, USA.
• SFO Museum. The Typewriter: An Innovation in Writing. An attractive catalogue for an exhibit at the San Francisco Airport Museum. Closeup photos of typewriters owned by famous people, 19th-century antiques, colorful midcentury machines, and more.
  
• Vangool, Janine. The Typewriter: A Graphic History of the Beloved Machine. UPPERCASE, 2016. A beautifully produced book focusing on the culture surrounding typewriters, with reproductions of all sorts of ads and other ephemera. Preview the book and order it on the author's website.
  
• Webster, F. S. Company. Typewriters of All Kinds and Our Galaxy of Stars. This rare 196-page catalogue published in 1898 by the F. S. Webster Co. describes a wide variety of machines, services, and office supplies. Attractive and entertaining. Click on the link to order a print-on-demand reprint.

Deal! Office Machine Americana offers the Collector's Guide, Mares, and Current for only $44 total, postpaid in the US (add 30% for shipping abroad). Visit their website or e-mail Ernie Jorgenson at rbc@cableone.net. Snail mail address: Ernie Jorgenson, Office Machine Americana, P.O. Box 1161, Lewiston, ID 83501.

Books out of print

• Adler, Michael H. The Writing Machine. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1973. A scrupulously researched book that features a very thorough investigation of the early history of typewriter invention, and a long list of "unconventional" typewriters. This is a keeper.
• Adler, Michael. Antique Typewriters, from Creed to QWERTY. Schiffer Publishing, 1997. $39.95. An exploration of early typewriters by the author of the classic The Writing Machine (see above). 208 pages with lots of color and black-and-white photos. Written in an entertaining tone with a sense of humor. Lots of information, but occasionally errors creep in. Includes price suggestions which are generally reliable, sometimes on the high side. This book is the most comprehensive typewriter history in English. I recommend it for any serious collector.
• Beeching, Wilfred A. Century of the Typewriter. London: Heinemann, 1974. Information in this book is unreliable but plentiful. Useful lists of serial numbers, and an excellent selection of photographs. A paperback reprint was produced in the 1990s, and can probably be found more easily than the original. In the UK, reprints may be available from Bernard Williams, 80 Manor Road, Burton-on-Trent, Staffs, DE 159 9SP.
• Bliven, Bruce, Jr. The Wonderful Writing Machine. New York: Random House, 1954. An entertaining, journalistic book sponsored by Royal (so, as you'd expect, the Royal typewriter is presented as the greatest thing since sliced bread). This book can often be found at used bookshops.
• Herrl, George. Catalog of the Carl P. Dietz Collection of Typewriters. Milwaukee: Milwaukee Public Museum, 1965. A nice set of photographs (some are reprinted in Beeching). Information is sometimes unreliable.
• Lippman, Paul. American Typewriters: A Collector's Encyclopedia. Hoboken, N.J.: Original & Copy, 1992. A self-published hardback book by a longtime collector -- includes many illustrations and personal observations about virtually all American-made typewriters, plus useful information and advice for the collector.
• Martin, Ernst (pseudonym of Johannes Meyer). Die Schreibmaschine und ihre Entwicklungsgeschichte. 4th ed: Pappenheim, Bavaria, 1949. An outstanding, encyclopedic work. Plentiful illustrations make it worth looking at even if you don't know a word of German.
  
• Masi, Frank (ed.). The Typewriter Legend. Secaucus, N.J.: Matsushita Electric Corporation of America, 1985. This book put out by Matsushita when they were introducing the short-lived Panasonic electronic typewriter is very good: generally accurate, entertaining, and sporting a large number of interesting black-and-white photos. The author was actually collector Don Sutherland. Hard to find, but worth looking for.
• Rehr, Darryl. Antique Typewriters & Office Collectibles. Collector Books, 1997. $19.95. This book by the former editor of the journal of the Early Typewriter Collectors Association is an invaluable guide, including detailed descriptions of hundreds of typewriters, illustrated with color photos. It is not exhaustive, and the estimates of value are generally agreed to be too low, but this is a very good first book for the beginning typewriter collector .
  

Organizations and Periodicals

• ETCetera, the journal of the Early Typewriter Collectors Association, is a quarterly color magazine featuring historical, technical, and human-interest stories related to typewriters of all eras. Back issues are available as free PDFs with a two-year delay.
  
• The German collector's club is the I.F.H.B. (Internationales Forum Historische Bürowelt), which publishes HBW-Aktuell (about 20 pages, 11 issues a year, with news about meetings, etc. and an English translation). Three times a year every member also gets Historische Bürowelt, a magazine with historical research into typewriters and adding machines. Membership dues are 75 euros/year. Contact Wolfgang Mock, Gemarkenstr. 61, D-45147 Essen, Germany. E-mail: ifhbev@t-online.de.
• The French Association Nationale des Collectionneurs de Machines à Écrire et à Calculer Mécaniques publishes its journal, Arts Mécaniques, about every six months, as well as a bimonthly bulletin, Contact, mostly dealing with collectors' meetings. ANCMECA membership is 50 euros a year, payable to international bank account FR35 2004 1010 1206 0144 8N03 334, Bank Identifier Code PSSTFRPPSCE. President François Babillot can be contacted at fbabillot@aol.com. Edmond Kern, editor of the publications, can be reached at 11, rue Ravel, F 67310 Wasselonne, phone 00 33 3 88 87 06 91, edmondkern@yahoo.fr. 
• The Italian typewriter collectors' association is Collezionisti Macchine per Ufficio (COMPU). Membership includes the association's magazine.
  

Publicly Displayed Typewriters

Cyberspace

• The major online sources for antique and secondhand typewriters are eBay and German eBay. Browse for a quick education on typewriter rarity and value.
• Etsy also offers many typewriters, typically at a higher price.
  
• Consider joining one of the typewriter mailing lists, Facebook groups, and bulletin boards.
• For other Web sites of interest, see my typewriter-related links.