Tools of the Trade

My pal Norman stopped by yesterday and gave me a Corona portable typewriter he no longer wanted, and I was thrilled to get it.  I’m guessing that it’s from the 1940s, maybe the ‘50s. In any event, it looked as familiar as an old shoe.

Hard to believe there was a time when novelists wrote whole books on these things. I tried it—Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog’s back.—and it worked perfectly. But I’d forgotten how long the key stroke was and how much effort it required. Those folks must have had serious hands.

I rescued my father’s typewriter (Underwood circa 1933) a few years back when my mother happened to mention that she’d donated it to a charity auction. Glad I still have it. There’s something about the old engines of production that seems to me worth preserving. In small numbers.

Glad I’ve got ‘em. Thanks, Norman.

Oh, and if there's anyone who can date these dinosaurs more accurately, or has another comment, I’d love to hear from you.