Survey: did you ever use a manual typewriter?
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"If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster."— Isaac Asimov
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The first one I actually owned was a caps-only kiddie one circa 1968. It didn’t work very well, but it was a genuine typewriter, not a toy. When I was about 10 (1970) I was given a real Smith-Corona portable, which I still own. Being smallish, it takes a non-standard size ribbon spool. The last time I typed on it (or any other typewriter, manual or electric) was about 1981.
I never owned an electric typewriter. Went straight from the manual to the computer.
I write on an Olympia SM-9: manual, as old as me (46), focusing, and more reliable than any piece of electronics you care to mention.
I had an old Underwood several years back…the machine was old, decrepit, when I got my hands on it. I wrote that machine into the grave.
The Underwood was followed by a Smith Corona, another machine beaten and used ’till it gave up its steel ghost.
The Olympia I bought from http://www.mrtypewriter.tripod.com. I expect it to serve me (or do I serve it?) for many years to come.
Computers (and word processors like the Alphasmart) are great for making the manuscript ‘pretty’, but, the actual crafting, the writing, is best done on a writing machine: the typewriter. –H. Quirk
Correction: http://mrtypewriter.tripod.com/
I’m in no way affiliated with the site other than being a satisfied customer… -Henry
Although I’m in my late 40s, I learned how to type on my parents’ old heavy Royal manual. Let me tell you, your fingers got really, really strong typing on those! What a PITA it was to get to the bottom of a page, and realize you didn’t leave enough room for your footnotes… (ugh). Funny story here – I had a Smith Corona portable I used in college to type, and once got a paper done when all the power was out (and all my friends couldn’t do theirs on their electric typewriters!). I recently told my daughter and friend I was able to keep working on my typewriter w/o power, and the freind said “oh, were you working on battery power?” After I recovered from laughing so hard, I showed them my manual typewriter. They were fascinated! They were so amazed at the “ding” at the end of the line! (“just like in the movies”, as they said!) Funny thing too, all my friends from the manual typewriting era all type hard on our keyboards, as we’ve been told. Part of that long finger movement from the manual keys!
Mr. Quirk,
Completely agree with your comments on the Olympia SM9. It’s the best manual I’ve ever tried. Also want to add my recommendation for Mr. Typewriter (Dan Puls) in St. Louis. I own three Olympia’s (two SM9’s and one SM4–another excellent machine) and bought them all from him. His URL has changed, I believe, to http://www.mrtypewriter.com. If you’re going to buy a manual, you should get it from a pro like Dan Puls who knows how to properly ship typewriters so they don’t get damaged. Buying typewriters off eBay is a crap shoot because they frequently get banged up in shipping.
Writers these days think they need to use a word processor to be productive, but that’s just a myth. Word processors are great EDITING tools, but when it comes to actual COMPOSITION, you can get just as much (if not more) done on a manual typewriter (or writing with a fountain pen, for that matter). People think they can write faster with a word processor, but what they really mean is that they can type faster on a computer keyboard–not that it really matters. Typing fast and writing fast are two completely different things. In any case, if you use a good manual like the SM9, you can type 60-70 wpm, if not faster. In the old days, it wasn’t uncommon for typists to type 100-120 wpm on manuals.
“If you’re going to buy a manual, you should get it from a pro like Dan Puls who knows how to properly ship typewriters so they don’t get damaged. Buying typewriters off eBay is a crap shoot because they frequently get banged up in shipping.”
Agreed. If my only option was the ‘crap shoot’, then — being the chintzy fellow I am — I’d be hard-pressed to own a typewriter today.
The Underwood and Smith-Corona that I used to work on were both from area flea markets, and both — while usable — were on their last legs when I got them.
Older and wiser: I expect reliability for my buck.
#
“Typing fast and writing fast are two completely different things.”
Agreed. Though I do neither…slow as a snail, that’s me… -Henry
My late father was a typewriter mechanic in Vienna, Austria and qualified as a master mechanic after 8 years in 1926. He had his own business there until 1939 when he had to escape to the UK in 1939. He worked for Remington here until 1950 when he started on his own again. I rmember as a five year old seeing the stripped down machines in his workshop at home and as he repaired all manual makes, I learned to type from about 5 years old on all makes of American and European machines. He was not very happy in repairing alectric machines and what he would have thought about word processors let alone the computer I dread to think. I still use an Erika (E.German) portable and have in store a 1940/50 Imperial 66. Now that was a good heavy machine. I still type with two fingers but can get upto 40-50 words a minute on good day.
I am 15 and I use a Royal quiet deluxe to do history notes. My history teacher lets us use notes durring his quizzes, but we are not allowed to type them on a computer, beause he does not wa’t us to send them to our firends to use for their quizzes. However, we are allowed to use typewriters because typewritten notes can not be e-mailed to other kids. I find typing on that old typewriter to be alot faster and easier than hand writing my notes, they are also quite a but more legible than my crappy hadwriting.
Hey I was wondering if any of you could give me an idea of the price range of mr. typewriter. I’m thinking of buying but don’t have a lot to spend. Thanks!
Mr. Typewriter: I spent $200 plus for my Olympia SM 9. It seems like a lot, I know, but — really — you get what you pay for. I work on that machine daily, for long periods, and other than ribbon changes, she’s never failed me.
You could find something comparable on e-bay, I’m sure, but then — after spending 20 bucks — you may find the machine unusable.
Again: $200 plus for a refurbished manual typewriter sounds steep but, as a ‘refurbished’ machine, you’ll have something that won’t fail after a couple or three writing sessions.
I agree with Mr Quirk about the pricing. Mr. Typewriter does a fantastic job refurbishing his machines and he packs them very carefully so they don’t get damaged in shipping. There’s no point in cutting costs if the typewriter’s going to arrive in a dozen pieces because the seller didn’t know how to ship it.
All of the Olympias I bought from him arrived in pristine condition: thoroughly cleaned, everything working. These typewriters are still working after almost fifty years and with care they should survive for another fifty years at least. If you’re serious about doing a lot of work on a typewriter, buying one from a professional typewriter mechanic like Mr. Typewriter is well worth the investment.
Another issue. You can pick up typewriters cheap at flea markets and on eBay and so on, but they usually need some kind of maintenance. Personally, I don’t know diddly about repairing typewriters, so the extra cost of buying them refurbished from somebody like Mr. Typewriter is worth it for me. I’m not a collector or a hobbyist. I just want something to write on.
Some manuals are better than others. The Olympias, particularly the earlier SM series, are supposed to be some of the best typewriters ever manufactured. You want something smooth and functional that doesn’t jam all the time. Mr. Typewriter is expensive, but he’s cheaper than other sites I’ve seen like MyTypewriter.com. The last time I checked, they were selling Olympias for three or four hundred dollars, if not more.
The ideal situation, I guess, would be if you could find a good used typewriter in your local area that somebody doesn’t want, but which is still in good shape. Then you could try it out first and take it home yourself, and you wouldn’t have to worry about shipping damage.
I’m convinced. I’m going to check out mrtypewriter.com. I need a manual to do some tax forms, and our heavy, old beast of a machine (which I HATED) finally bit the dust. Glad I stumbled upon your manual typewriter discussion.
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