No. 2 in a series of watercolour sketches.
Despite their being cheap and plentiful, these original Brother typewriters are still good value. I bought this ‘Valiant’ recently, simply for the name plate. They seem to have made endless versions of the same basic machine for reasons that escape me. I guess they were using scientific marketing to sell the same thing under different guise. Wasn’t it enough that it was cheap and well made?
Filed under Painting, Thrift shop finds, Typewriters
Too late for Valentine’s Day, but this card was found in a nifty shop here. This place has typewriters for rent, and while I was buying this card the clerk was instructing a young woman on how a manual typewriter works. I found this amusing, and astounding, that one would need to be instructed on how to use such a simple and familiar machine. Conclusion: I obviously have no idea of how uncommon a manual typewriter is to some people. Perhaps this person would also be unfamiliar with a rotary dial telephone? Don’t laugh! I can’t milk a cow, can you?
Filed under Technology, Typewriters
When the price of LP’s hits 25 cents I don’t mind wasting a quarter on a wild purchase. Thus I acquired an LP by Axel Stordahl, The Lure of the Blue Mediterranean, dating from 1959. Available on itunes now:
I really did get it for the jacket/sleeve/cover/inside pages. It’s one of those LP’s that was sold as a concept, complete with a rather long essay, and a photo spread across a substantial number of pages. It sort of reminded me of Magical Mystery Tour, but for my parents generation. Is it possible the Beatles saw this album and copied the idea?
Stordahl was Sinatra’s band leader in the late forties. To my pleasant surprise, the album is good. The orchestra is excellent, and the sings are interesting and varied. Much better than “elevator” music for sure. And, to top it all off, I discovered a reference to a typewriter inside. The author of the essay was a writer named Horace Sutton. It seem he traveled a lot, and carried with him a Hermes portable. That made it worth 25 cents, for sure.
As for the songs, well, they include Night in Tunisia. Dizzy Gillespie, what could be cooler?
Track list:
1. Majorca. Isle Of Love
2. Isle Of Capri (much better than Sinatra)
3. Tunis, Ports Of Call: Escales
4. Cyprus
5. Red Sails In The Sunset
6. Haifa
7. Autumn In Rome: From Ost By Alessandro Cicognini
8. Miserlou
9. Palermo, Ports Of Call: Escales
10. Off Shore
11. Riviera Pavanne
12. A Night In Tunisia
he carried a Hermes, and typed on planes
it seems he wasn’t enamored of the French
Filed under LP's, Thrift shop finds, Typewriters, Uncategorized
The Canadian Corona Standard
“National Typewriter Exchange Montreal”
I forgot to note that this one came from Montreal, my home town. The phone number is MA-2142.
Reminds me of a piano
Naturally it should have a red/black ribbon, no?
the following version in a new shell
I think these keys are the most beautiful typeface!
Remington Portable No 2
Remington 5
That’s the All-Black Typewriter Team!
Complaint department: today I saw a nice old Remette at the Salvation Army. Most frustrating that they had it up for auction. Unsporting I say, contrary to the very spirit of thrift shops what? Spoiling all the fun they are!
Filed under NaNoWriMo, Thrift shop finds, Typewriters
nanowrimo typing frenzy
Hardly any time to blog, November, Nanowrimo, madly writing novel on typewriters, using every typewriter I own with few exceptions, now convinced of superiority of Hermes Baby, surpassed only by Adler Tippa late model Dutch made types with so little effort, but still drawn to Hermes and Hermes clones such as Olivetti Tropical, Silver Seiko, all alike, how did those Japanese get away with this copy, don’t care, smells like cigarettes, noisy but works flawlessly typical Japanese machine no, again Hermes Baby, seafoam green, all plastic so what works great, must get back to typing now, see you in December, 30,000 words done, 20,000 more to go, story not even close to being finished what do I do, will have to keep going or else cut the plot short, not enough time..
Filed under Books and Short Stories, NaNoWriMo, Typewriters
I’ve got my coat to keep me warm
Filed under Poetry, Thrift shop finds, Typewriters
Smith Corona Sterling 1947
Remington Portable 2 1926
McCormick sold this business to my father
Filed under Books and Short Stories, Typewriters
George Alexander Louis Armstrong Gnome
Filed under Books and Short Stories, Photography, Poetry, Typewriters
nathanguitars 