Typewriters I have known.


From as far back as I can remember there was at least one typewriter in my parent's house, and if I'm not mistaken, shortly after studying typing in (I think) the eighth grade one of those became mine. Relatively early I moved up to an electric typewriter, the make and model of which have abandoned my memory long ago. I do remember that somewhere along the line we got one of those models on which different letters had distinct sizes. (Most typewriters are built with what today is called "fixed font" size, but there were some models that were "proportional font", and I really loved those.) I think that this typewriter became mine because I was the only one in the family willing to put up with the ordeal of back spacing five times to white-out an m, three times to white-out an n and only twice for an l. I loved the look of documents prepared on that typewriter, though not the way it shook the desk.

When I moved to Israel I had a suitcase in one hand and a portable manual typewriter in the other. This was my father's World War II U.S. Army issue Royal which is still stashed away somewhere in the attic. It served me wonderfully. (Yes, I know. I've mentioned this before.)

But I moved up from it as well. This time to an portable electric of unremembered make that my then neighbors will probably never forget. Not only did the desk shake. I think the whole room did as well.

And then came an IBM Selectric. Bi-directional no less. (By this time I'd taught myself to type in Hebrew and was delighted to inherit this (on very extended loan) from someone instead of having to borrow an almost toy-like red Olivetti portable for Hebrew typing whenever I needed it and the owner could spare it.) It didn't have proportional fonts, but it had almost all the other possible bells and whistles, and was a very impressive, and imposing, part of the desk. I loved switching balls for different typefaces, and the sharpness of the output.

It was when my loan was running out that I considered purchasing what was then called an electronic typewriter. I suppose that these can still be found somewhere today outside of museums, but they had a very short life-span: they were eclipsed almost as soon as they came out by PCs. It was when I consulted with my brother on which electronic typewriter would be best that he responded: "Are you kidding? Get a computer!"
 
 
I did. And now the only typewriter I have in the house is my father's first Underwood. A beautiful machine. Though apparently it's not worth much as a collector's item, it has great sentimental value for me.


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