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The Typewriter Revolution: A Typist's Companion for the 21st Century Flexibound – November 12, 2015

by Richard Polt (Author)

4.8 356 ratings

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The connoisseur's guide to the typewriter, entertaining and practical
What do thousands of kids, makers, poets, artists, steampunks, hipsters, activists, and musicians have in common? They love typewriters―the magical, mechanical contraptions that are enjoying a surprising second life in the 21st century, striking a blow for self-reliance, privacy, and coherence against dependency, surveillance, and disintegration. The Typewriter Revolution documents the movement and provides practical advice on how to choose a typewriter, how to care for it, and what to do with it―from National Novel Writing Month to letter-writing socials, from type-ins to typewritten blogs, from custom-painted typewriters to typewriter tattoos. It celebrates the unique quality of everything typewriter, fully illustrated with photographs, posters, postcards, manuals, and more.

Length

384
Pages
Language

EN
English
Publisher

Countryman Press
Publication date

2015
November 12
Dimensions

7.8 x 1.1 x 9.3
inches
ISBN-10

1581573111
ISBN-13

978-1581573114
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"... a lively, lavishly illustrated history of this newly revered machine backed by a comprehensive user's guide ... A clever, illuminating, and irresistible book of typewriter appreciation and a call for 'digital detox' and 'slow communication.'" --Booklist

"... delightfully illustrated ... packed with fascinating history and photos ... When the sun finally sends out an electromagnetic surge that fries every e-mail message on Earth, we'll wish we'd written our love letters on a Smith-Corona." --Washington Post

"... explains how to find and fix a machine, includes testimonies from writers on the freeing power of tapping out a story on a typewriter, and describes the innovative ways that people are using the typewriter today. ... quite enjoyable for anyone who likes the clack of keys and the ring of the carriage return." --Publishers Weekly

"Polt's account will attract those curious about the changes in technology and social patterns, since this book is really a culture critique masquerading as a history." --Library Journal (starred review)

"Polt's book is lovely and large-format with pictures interspersed among the text, which is itself delightfully hybrid: part history, part philosophy, and part user's manual, complete with labeled images of typewriters and how to use and repair them." --Chicago Tribune

About the Author

Richard Polt is the creator of the website The Classic Typewriter Page and the blog The Typewriter Revolution. For over twenty years he has been pursuing his love of the typewriter as a collector, webmaster, blogger, magazine editor, repairman―and frequent typist. Polt teaches philosophy at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Countryman Press; 1st edition (November 12, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Flexibound ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1581573111
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1581573114
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.8 x 1.1 x 9.3 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #133,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #9 in Antique & Collectible Furniture (Books)
- #11 in Antique & Collectible Care & Restoration (Books)
- #92 in Popular Culture Antiques & Collectibles (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.8 356 ratings

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Brent J.

A Practical Manual and a Love Letter

Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2023

Verified Purchase

I purchased this book almost exactly 8 years ago (on November 3, 2015, if my Amazon history is accurate), right after I had purchased my first typewriter on eBay - my first learning experience that I didn't know the first thing about actual typewriter mechanics, maintenance, or troubleshooting if anything went amiss.

This book contains all of the useful information and troubleshooting tips I have needed and has been a valuable resource in the years since, as well as it being my first introduction to the existence to what has become my all- time favourite typewriter, the wonderful Olympia SM9 (of which I now own 3 in different fonts, haha).

I, and my kids, have regularly used both the typewriters and this manual since, including most recently by my 16 year-old for an assignment for school. The teacher had stipulated that the assignments be handwritten: a 'protection' against students using AI to do the writing, but agreed to the use of 'an actual typewriter' as well. The Typewriter Revolution has been a trusted partner every step of the way, helping me become confident with cleaning, light maintenance, as well as being a reminder of the value of disconnecting and appreciating the slow, the tactile, and the real.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Phyl Y.

Join the revolution

Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2023

Verified Purchase

This is a wonderful book. It is inspiring. I very seldom give 5 stars. For me to give 5 stars means I recommend this book to everyone. A typewiter is personal. It becomes an extension of your self. It's an art, different from laptops, tablets and so on. It has all the quarts and beauty as a close friend.

Helpful

Thomas Ayles

An elegant tool, from a more civilized age. (With apologies to Obi Wan for adapting his words.)

Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2023

Verified Purchase

A little of the history of the typewriter, but much more on the philosophy of the people who return to typewriters, and their many reasons for doing so. By turns serious and funny, some passages written with (I surmise) his tongue firmly in his cheek, but a great read all round. And if you already prefer your typewriter to a computer keyboard, you will find that you are not alone. Amply illustrated with pictures of typewriters and their users and their writings. A "how to" on fixing glitches, more information on the typosphere and where it is going, and manifesto of the return to "machines of loving grace", a line taken from a poem by Richard Brautigan and echoed by others as it applies to typewriters.
Even if you don't have a typewriter you should read this book for the enthusiasm and enjoyment of his subject that the author so well presents.

2 people found this helpful

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JJ Spina

Just my type!

Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2023

Verified Purchase

This book is absolutely brilliant. The writing is superb and info on all aspects of typewriters and typing abounds in an energetic way not easily captured. The history is there. The annotated descriptions of various typewriters abound and the guide to care and maintaining a classic rig is told in a most entertaining manner. Some might knock off a star for most of the text being a quirky sans sariff but I found it actually slowed me down in absorbing the info and entertainment. I off in search of a late 50s Baby Hermes and all the kudos belong to this book.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Robert Falkenstein

Excellent

Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2023

Great resources

The content is great, a real boost for the typewriter

Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2016

Verified Purchase

The content is great, a real boost for the typewriter, much of which I discovered when I went back to the typewriter. I am happy to see that this machine is being given its just due. My only issue with this edition is that the main body of the text is a little small and light for comfortable reading, for me at least. I hope that future editions will make it darker.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kristine S. Woeckener

Viva la Typewriter!

Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2023

Verified Purchase

This book is beyond fabulous for any typewriter enthusiast! They spared no expense on the design, complete with a faux typewriter ribbon book mark and an embossed cover. The information inside is both about the world of writing with a typewriter and some good general purpose maintenance advice, like cleaning and troubleshooting. It is amply illustrated on high grade paper. It is a delight to read and to behold!

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Jonathan A. Goss

A Superb Addition to the Arsenal

Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2021

Verified Purchase

Do you think typewriters are cool? Thinking about buying one but perhaps you're a little intimidated by them? Interested in the novelty but not sure where to start? Dr. Polt's companion to the typewritten world is a shot of adrenaline to the heart of a nearly dead medium! The typewriter's history, relevance, cool factor, and usefulness in the modern age are explored in loving detail in The Typewriter Revolution. Whether you're a writer with a fascination for the curios and relics of ages gone by or a rebel fighting the good fight against the digital age, you owe it to yourself to try this amazing book! The quality is outstanding; the writing is phenomenal; and you'll be proudly marching to the hammering clack of the typewriter's drum before you're even finished with the introduction, boldly standing against the insidious machinations of our tech overlords with every stroke of the key and ring of the carriage bell!

4 people found this helpful

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Catwomanyorks

Wonderful book for typosphere fans!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 31, 2023

Verified Purchase

As a collector of vintage typewriters over the last four years (I have five), this is exactly the sort of ‘reference’ book I was looking for. Extremely well written and beautifully illustrated, the sort of book you can just dip into every day. The author is very knowledgeable and his enthusiasm for those wonderful machines comes across throughout. The section on typewriter care is very useful. I am so glad there is a resurgence of interest in typewriters; smart phones and tablets are all well and good (yes I have them myself), but NOTHING beats using a typewriter!

Daniel Burgoyne

Essentiel

Reviewed in Canada on August 19, 2023

Verified Purchase

Ce livre est essentiel pour ceux qui aiment et utilisent les machines à écrire anciennes.

C'est le meilleur condensé actuel sur le sujet. Vive la révolution dactylographique!

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Wade Staddon

Enjoyably written, very informative, beautifully published

Reviewed in Canada on August 7, 2022

Verified Purchase

This book comprehensively covers the subject of typewriters at a fairly high level - history, acquisition, maintenance, modern relevance and culture - in a clear, accessible style that is highly informative without getting nerdy. The book itself is physically very attractive and of unusually high quality. Anyone interested in typewriters will be glad to have this book beside them as both an inspiration and a reference.

Andrew Trim

Essential Reading for Typewriter Lovers!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 20, 2017

Verified Purchase

Rarely do you come across a volume whose physical attributes match its subject matter for both style and interest - but this is one such volume. Its weight, quality, typeface, illustrations, semi-flexible hardback, even the delightful red-and-black-ribbon bookmark ooze top-notch attention to detail. Then the subject matter itself is fascinating materials superbly presented! If you are a complete beginner seeking to choose your first machine, or someone seeking to repair or clean a typewriter in order to restore it to use, if you want to know more about the history of the machine's development, or to discover something of the global renaissance in typing as an act of defiance in the digital age - well then this book is for you! More importantly, if you didn't come to the book thinking you wanted to know about the use of typewriters in street poetry etc... somehow Richard Polt's engaging prose will soon have you interested and wanting to know more!

One warning though - I bought this book owning one typewriter... I already now have five... use them all... and browsing ebay or car-boot sales will never be the same again! Hold on, is that an early Smith-Corona over there? Must dash! :)

9 people found this helpful

Barry

Attractively presented for the most part..

Reviewed in Canada on November 29, 2022

Verified Purchase

….but written content not very enjoyable to read, as author is pretentiously trying too hard to be slick & hip at the expense of being genuinely interesting. The san serif font on the pages is rather faint & small too. A trendy book, instead of a useful one…very easy to put aside after 5 minutes.

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