The Typewriter Kid

Here's some thing you need to know-- even if you don't need to know it. By way of introduction, I have a 1940's era big heavy manual Royal desktop typewriter. It's the typewriter my Mom gave me for high school graduation. She loved good grammar and a well written paper. She also expected I would be writing papers for college and, so, thought the Royal desktop would be just the ticket for her college bound son in 1975.

I love my typewriter. Unfortunately, to communicate by typewriter requires a mailman. My big desktop also does not possess an on-board dictionary and the simple facility of hitting the backspace button in order to correct and edit.

For any shortcomings, there is much to recommend my big old machine:  When you use a typewriter you literally feel the story leave your hands for the paper. There is no luminescent screen, just a sheet of paper reflecting the glow of an incandescent bulb-- at least for as long as the latter remain in circulation. A typewriter also provides the lively voice of words being written: Clackity clack clack clack. Ding!  Zzzzzip. Clackity clackity clack clack clack… The sound track of a million great stories. And finally, the smell. If you've ever had the opportunity to look under the lid of a typewriter--  to look closely at that mechanical collection of letters and arms and spools and ribbon-- you might have noticed the smell. It's the smell of lubricating oil and ink, that substance that laid out so many wonderful stories from the mind to the page.

At any rate, check out Kibler's Typewriter Company. There are others but this one has got to be among the very best for just a whole lot of reasons. Klick on the link and see why. Whether you think typewriters are cool or cold, you'll like what you read. And maybe, just maybe, think about getting a typewriter to park on your desk at home. Better still, maybe Mr. Kibler can figure a way to wire my big Royal keyboard to my Mac.