| After writing I met a fellow writer who was curious about my machine. He was a very friendly and interesting fellow and I am excited about having a new local friend. He actually supports himself as a freelancer (he says supports is a gracious word) and I even stayed a little late at the laundromat talking to him. I tell you, typewriters are a good way to meet interesting people (boring people don't care if you are on a typewriter). Also, it was Vintage Technology Obsessions who got me excited about this typeface today:
http://vintagetechobsessions.blogspot.com/2012/08/found-in-wild-olympia-sm-7-with.html Technically not the same, but very similar indeed. |
Nice typeface, cute little ugly duckling.
ReplyDeleteCheck Munk's typeface styles to confirm the typeface name.
Good to read about typewriters bringing people together.
Looks like maybe Esquire 10 pitch. That is a great link. Just bookmarked it.
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DeleteGetting hasty, but I have a Royal that looks a lot like Book but less formalized. Those are very cool collections of typefaces though, and sure to be a good tool for me. Thanks again for sharing the link!
Delete+I have a blue Corsair that I call my "stunt typewriter" and used for testing my bike mount.
ReplyDeleteAdditional criteria: handle and cover (usually both at once).
That is a nice Adler. I don't think it's ugly at all. I have an Erika with no cover, so I made one out of construction paper.
She's got cracks all around and is also upstaged by a better looking but less-cool-typeface Tippa I store next to her. I wouldn't call her ugly, but she is the worse for the wear. My new expendable is not a looker though. I'll show it to you all when I get around to cleaning it up a little.
DeleteI haven't settled on an expendable typewriter. I had the Empire Aristocrat stashed under the front passenger seat for typing on the go. It is too nice to be expendable. In theory, any $5-10 Smith-Corona would do, but I wouldn't want something that heavy loose in the hatchback as it would be a pretty hefty projectile in the passenger compartment if my long commute got sketchy.
ReplyDeleteI like your Tippa. It has character.
Yeah, smart thoughts. I have a Skyriter, $15 from a junk store, stains, dented frame, pushed-in Smith-Corona label, with no case cover. It's a perfect expendable. No, wait, it's not expendable; it works great. It's a no-fuss writer, no worry about further damage or loss. It doesn't have a handle but it fits in almost any bag and I don't have to find a place for both the bag _and_ the top cover when using it. Such a user typewriter definitely encourages writing in the field.
ReplyDelete== MIchael Höhne
Sounds like you have the perfect machine for the purpose. Mine isn't so light or small. I will clean it up and post soon. The Tippa/Rocket/Skywriter/Royalite would be perfect, but the only one in condition bad enough to be my "no-fuss" is the above machine which has too cool of a typeface.
DeleteI have a Sears "Tower" Skyriter that is generally my go-to travel typewriter. Types great, looks pretty cool, and has a really great case that can store lots of paper and pens. I call him "Indy" for his rough-and-ready outlook. I'd be sad to lose such a great companion, but financially I'd only be out 32 cents. :D
ReplyDeleteI travel with whichever typewriter suits me at the moment, but I would only ever take a "throw-away" camping or on a plane. I guess that is the difference. Sounds like Skywriters are a pretty common choice for such a typer, and I don't even have one yet! I have never seen one for sale in the wild and the ones I bid on eBay always climb too high at the last minute. Someday...
DeleteIf you're in the US, 1950's era Skyriters are invariably the choice for their availability and cost (at least before typewriter prices got nutso). Probably in Switzerland, you'd be looking for a Hermes Rocket or Baby. If you lived in Germany, probably an Olympia SF. Depends a lot on how easily you would be able to find a like replacement for what you have where you are.
DeleteMy two Skyriters I picked up on ebay two years ago, when auctions for them quite frequently went unbid and $9 + shipping could get you a nice one easily. For both my auctions, I was the only bidder at 99 cents and $12 respectively for "Indy" and "Boswell". Ahh, those were the days :D
I guess these days a good alternative would be the plastic-bodied Royal portables from the 70's like the Sprites, Caravans and the small-format Safaris. I'm told they are mechanically very similar to the ABC/Cole Steel designs of the 50's and 60's, and every one I've encountered has been surprisingly sturdy and nice to type on. They go pretty cheap on ebay, and are fairly common in thrift shops.
I think this is about as topless as you can get without having to be pixelated!
ReplyDeleteLove the post, and the machine. There's just not enough Adler love around the Typosphere!