After watching your post, I remembered that I had a typewriter in storage. I got in my car that very minute and went and got it. I is a 1952 Royal Quiet de Luxe in Robin Egg Blue. My momma had bought it at a flea market 6 years ago before she died. I've named her Little Bird and she is in the shop getting an overhaul. She is in excellent condition, just needs a little care. I cannot wait to get her back. After taking her for a run through I actually had trouble typing on my laptop. I so enjoy watching your channel. Your voice is so soothing. My momma was a journalist and a reader. She passed this wonderful thing to me. Mother/Daughter time was such a blessing. Have a blessed day.
My Dad died when I was 6, he bought a Smith Corona Tower in 1958 when he was in high school. It has been in the garage since 1967 and we would "type" on it when we were kids. Some of the keys didn't work, but when I saw your video of your first typewriter I got it out of the garage. I was able to get it fixed from a friends friend who use to own a typewriter repair shop. He fixed it for FREE and thanked me for letting him work on it and how many good memories this brought back for him. Thank you for this, if I hadn't seen your video about typewriters, it may be still sitting in the garage. I don't know if I will buy a typewriter in the future, this one means so much to me, but you never know?! What kind of paper do you use for typing on, in your video it looks thinner than regular copy paper.
A lovely post, not so much because of the typewriter content (‘tho that’s great for us who are into typewriters), but because it absolutely nails the irrational way a collecting habit takes hold and the affection that builds between you and the items in your collection. You’re having to get each new typewriter because it’s calling to you…
Although I don’t know you personally, I feel like you and Bryon (as well as fig, bean and dot) have become great friends of mine. The joy you bring discussing these machines puts a smile on my face
I am old enough to have attended high school and college when the PC was but a dream in some technocrat's mind. Well not exactly, some of my wealthier classmates were early adapters but the majority of us couldn't afford the PCs and Apple IIs available at the time. I don't have a pleasant memory of typewriters. We were required to hand in our research papers and essays in typed form correctly formatted and double spaced. If a mistake was made, I had to tear it out and start again. I also remember the all nighters I have pulled. As a curiosity, I suppose it is something to behold, especially that 1930's model from an era long gone. I like the nostalgia of that, but to type on for the sake of typing? No thanks. I love my iMac for that instead. I will never go back. Thank you for sharing your collection.
After using typewriters even post-college, and learning that electrics made only a little difference in how quickly I could type, when the first PCs with word processing software arrived I arranged for circuses, games, feasts, etc. But typewriters are lovely and fascinating machines. I would love to see one of the really early ones in action. 1870s, I think? And I swear, Alicia, that among the many videos about the life of Queen Elizabeth II that I watched over the past 3 weeks -- one of them said that she had received an Olympia Travel model as a gift from one of the Commonwealth nations and it was identical to yours.
I Alicia ...this was so enjoyable ... it's hard to fully put into words! Typewriters were such a big part of my childhood because my Mom is a writer and she wrote 3 books on her manual Remington typewriter. I had one too although I don't remember but I think mine was a cheaper child's style. I still remember Mom helping me with ribbon issues. Her typewriter had such a sweet sounding bell!! I went off to sleep last night after watching your video and one from the channel you recommended with the joyful memories of typing before electric typewriters and before word processors and before computers and laptops!! Ha! When I was writing in the Air Force I had a manual typewriter at home and an electric Smith Corona with the little round font ball shaped strike letters!!! Mom and I used to type each other letters all the time!!!! Now I use a font on my computer called "Mom's Typewriter" when I don't use my fountain pens lol. ✒📬✉Happy Thanksgiving!
Oh Chris! That is such a wonderful memory! Thank you so much for sharing. It gave me warm fuzzies. While my dad used a word processor, I can remember falling asleep in his office to the sound of him typing away, occasionally waking up to see the blue light of his screen casting shadows around the room. It was a comforting time during one of our more challenging moments. Those memories can be powerful. Anyway, hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! ❤️
My tag comes from sitting under my father’s desk, digging through his briefcase advertising samples while listening to his fingers click-clacking the the keys on his Underwood. Sweet memories. Love them all.
I don't have any particular nostalgia for typewriters per se, but the sounds from your Adler are distinctive enough to recall my fondness for my parents' Adler, which I used to love typing on at any opportunity when I was a kid.
What a beautiful collection! It brings back memories. I learned to type in long, boring days off sick from school, using my mother's Olivetti that she used to create crime novels, short stories, and radio plays, none of which, sadly, got taken up for publication or broadcast. I continued that tradition by submitting a juvenile political tract to IIRC Pluto Press, who wrote back very politely. When I left home - and particularly when I dropped out of college - I realised I'd need a typewriter to create CVs. From the Sheffield Star classified ads, I sourced, a big, heavy, Imperial. It was a pale green - not the deep, luscious green of the Rheinmetall, sadly - and was a beast to get home on the bus. But, ugly mint brick that it was, it was easy to maintain and reliable. Of course, my curiosity did not stop there, so I bought a magnificent Underwood No.5, which made me feel like I was like Dracula sitting at a large pipe organ, it was so dramatic Difficult to keep the keys balances, but such a beautiful piece of engineering. Next was an Underwood No.6. I don't know why! It didn't work, and I couldn't get it much closer to functional. Sure, it was beautiful - like my No.5, but with a linger carriage - but, ultimately, a white elephant Last of the vintage typewriters was a gorgeous portable Remington - black, and sleek, and low profile. I used to pretend I was Jack Kerouac pouring stream of consciousness onto the paper. Such a beauty! Last typewriter I bought - in 1992 - was to write invoices with. It was a Smith-Corona daisy wheel electronic, with a couple of different font wheels. And a memory! It took me back to college as a mature student, and I typed my first couple of essays on it. They're possibly still on there lol. But the computer centre and an introduction to word processing course made my life easier for the remaining years, and I came out with a First, using the time in between my Finals and results to learn the touch typing I wished I'd learned before. Sadly, in going to college, I had to leave my vintage typewriters in my dad's garage, and they may be in his attic now, since he's moved house (sorry, dad!). I may go search them out one day...
Your collection is so wonderful! I really enjoyed listening to the story of each piece. I am SO jealous of your Rheinmetall, what a absolutely gorgeous machine. I'm obsessed with that lovely shade of green....
A nice departure from pen videos. I have a small portable Silver Reed Silverette typewriter that I bought new many years ago. I don't suppose it's a very good typewriter but I was happy with it. Nowadays it sits in a cupboard and never gets used. Sad to admit it was replaced by a long line of printers, currently a Canon. I liked the reference to "Murder She Wrote" and we get that show in the UK. I wanted to be a writer as well. In my case I had the ambition but not the talent. Lovely to see your collection of typewriters. I wonder how many more you'll get before the house is full up!
I cannot begin to explain how "Murder, She Wrote" is my favourite show of all time. When I could still stream it back to back I would even leave it on while I was studying, just for background sound. But now, where I am, I cannot stream it from anywhere so I bought all the dvd's from Amazon, but I watch it less because they only play 4 episodes at a time and I need to set up the reader on the computer, etc. But "Murder..." gives me a sense of peace while watching that I don't get watching anything else. Jessica Fletcher is my favourite character of all time. Apologies for the long comment, but it was refreshing to hear someone love this so much as well, I never hear that. Needless to say, your collection is beautiful.
Oh gosh, your story makes me so happy. I have such a similar relationship with “Murder, She Wrote” as well, playing it all the time, having it run in the background. Such a comfort.
Btw: I just noticed that they're currently playing two or three episodes a day on the Hallmark channel -- IF you have cable / satellite that has Hallmark.
I hadn't realised until I heard this that that is where my love of typewriters came from. When I was a child I loved this show. I had my Grandfather's typewriter and would sit at it saying one day I was going to be a writer just like her. I'd even type Murder He Wrote at the top of the pages.
Greetings from Australia. What a great collection. Thanks for the video. It is a slippery slope that my wife wouldn't allow me to take. 😃 I'm into fountain pens, inks and journals and this has taken over my life since the pandemic began. Tracing it's impact on world has been something I have recorded diligently; and over the years I have purchased 80 fountain pens. I never would have thought that the fountain pen would be so important in my life. Sorry about the digression. Thanks for the video.
Beautiful collection, Alicia! Thank you for sharing. I have 2: a Royal from the 30s (may be the same one you have) and an Adler Contessa from the 70s. I love the Adler simply because it’s a joyful, sunshiney bright yellow however it’s not the smoothest typer. It’s rather a workout to type anything at length. The Royal is better though not luxurious. 😊
Thank you for sharing. Loved seeing your models and enjoyed your narrative. Made me feel good to know I'm not the only one to become an inadvertent collector 😊
Very nice collection of typewriters. I've heard of some but a couple were new to me. Typewriters and petrichor in the same video. It just doesn't get much better than that! I truly love that earthy scent and the clackity clack clack ... _ding!_ Thanks Alicia.
I have been happy ever since PCs have come into use. I never could type well on a typewriter. Too many typos, and often the the type-arms would jam at the platen. In addition, you can't change the font (except on a daisy-wheel typewriter). Have you ever typed on a Selectric? Amazing technology, and you can't jam them, and you can't type too fast.
Love your presentation. I have heard through someone on Type Pals that the Adler is "the BMW of typewriters". I have an Adler J5 and love it. I also have a collection of Smith Coronas from the 60's and 70's which I like a lot too.
I really enjoyed this video, mainly because of the way you personalized the various typewriters you've encountered, "We got along..." or "Our personalities weren't compatable..." something along those lines. I relate because my personality is a good match for the two machines I've worked with on book length writing projects. One is a 1961 Olympia SM7, and the other, a 1965 Olympia SM9. I've typed thousands of pages on each, and both are a joy for me to work on. I'd previously tried the Royals, Smith Coronas, etc. And none of them came close. Having said that, I do have a Olivetti Studio 45 that suits me well, but the only one I've been lucky enough to find is one with a Hebrew keyboard, (a language I'm not fluent in, but I love the machine so much, I'm keeping it anyway). Thank you for this video!
Your collection is lovely, as is your infectious enthusiasm! I just bought a machine - a 1930 Royal 10 - from Jot & Tittle, due to arrive tomorrow! My favorite thing about typewriters? They seem to have replaced my therapist. I’m on jury duty and we’re not supposed to discuss the case with anyone. But yesterday I told my Remington Noiseless Portable all about it. 😳
Fast but not the one from typing academy I guess as pinky is not working properly. In any case and as usual a very fun-tastic and well edited video in a super natural and best, by far, pen and writing Alisha. Thanks for your “Channel”.
I remember typing on a mechanical typewriter as a child, I have photos of it as I enjoyed it so much. My father brought home an electrical one at some point, but it kept bugging and I didn't like it. Beautiful collection!
Thank you so much for posting this! I've been thinking about getting a typewriter again lately. I used to have a couple of machines, but both were hand-me-downs, and neither really worked well. I wish that I'd gotten my grandmother's machine, which was a really lovely machine, and actually what I learned to type on, but when she died I was simply too heartbroken to think of asking for anything. I've been eyeing an Adler, and it's great to hear that you have a good experience with one. Thank you again!
You’re welcome! Thank you for watching! I’m sorry you didn’t get your grandmother’s machine. I’m sure it would have been cherished. I hope you do find one that inspires you!
Thanks for sharing. I remember in college once I had procrastinated on writing an 8-page paper. I remember writing one very rough draft so I’d know sort of where the footnotes would go. I dashed it off in one pass on the typewriter (including dynamically adding the footnotes) as I was actually re-writing the paper on the fly. It was very stressful but the paper looked good - my grade must of been ok since I did get an “A” in the class. 😂 That was the fastest I ever wrote a paper - maybe 3 hrs from start to finish. Footnotes took extra work because you needed a break line which consisted of 20 underscores, a carriage return and the footnote number always was superscript with the proper footnote syntax. Trying to fix a mis-spelled word after you pulled the paper out of the typewriter was pretty tough so you had to check for typos before you pulled the paper out. A ruler was your friend for getting the bottom margin in the right location.
A beautiful series on Netflix features typewriting, called Violet Evergarden. The opposite of your typical anime (no exaggerated dialogue and movement), it’s a reflective, artistic and quietly emotional series of episodes starring a traumatized ex military orphan girl learning how to live in the civilian world by working a job in which she travels and types letters for people who struggle to put their thoughts into words. She learns how to redeem her violent past and recognize her own hidden emotions by connecting people through typewritten letters.
I have about 50 portables in my collection including that Adler and it is by far my favorite of all to actually type on as well. It's as close to perfection as you can get. It's not as pretty as a vintage Hermes 3000 or Olympia SM3/4 etc but it's so smooth, especially the carriage return which seems to glide on air.
I inherited my grandfathers Smith-Corona 3. It took a lot of elbow grease to get it working again as the case was long lost and it was gunked up and dirty. I plan on making a cover for it to keep it clean, but it still works well.
I love ultra portables and the Skyriter is my favorite among the three that I own. Just wanted to say that Hunter S. Thompson is shown typing with a SF while perched on a hill overlooking the water in Monterrey or Santa Barbara (I forget). I need one!
I was fascinated by your video about her collection of Typewriters...the truth is that they fascinate me too...I still have my Mother's Typewriter Brand Olivetti M40/3 Series 1946....with keys glass!! as you indicate with your Royal...lol...and I use it often...and it also fascinates me on rainy days...so your video is one of my favorites overall.. Greetings from Buenos Aires, Argentina
So cool! Love! I have my dad’s old Olivetti Valentine…I guess from the 70s. I need to get it serviced and it needs a new ribbon. I also acquired an old electric typewriter that works well but is quite huge! I was wondering if you stored them all in their cases and just pull out one when using or have them set up on tables? Do you find it a hassle…or does it stop you from using it?
You have a very nice collection. If you can stand one or two more machines, I'd recommend you get a Smith-Corona 5 series, like a Silent-Super. I am also very fond of the Facit TP1/TP2, once they have been serviced. Lastly, everyone will tell you that you need a Hermes 3000. They are nice machines, no doubt, but have a rigidity similar to the Olympia so I'm not sure one would be for you. Hard to know without trying though, and each machine has its own story. The other thing is the variety of typefaces, and one day you might wake up and decide you need a cursive machine! As long as you have the space, typewriters are a great hobby I think. Anyway, thanks again for this, it was enjoyable to watch.
I learned to type on a typewriter. We didn't have a personal computer until I was in late middle school and when I wanted to write stories, my mom's only rule was that I had to practice my "typing fingers" on her Royal Quiet DeLuxe - which is the same as yours, 1930s, pre-war since it has metal and glass. It was gifted to her when she was young from a neighbor and I have kept it at my place since she allowed me to take it. It's probably one of the few heirloom items my family has, and while I don't use it really at all, I treasure it deeply. May I ask, what paper do you use for your typewriters? I have various FP-friendly papers but many are so thin I fear they'll tear from the force!
Maybe I'm thinking about a typewriter that I saw from a friend, but how do you get whiteout for typewriters that take whiteout? And where do you get the ink for the typewriters? Is that what the ribbon is? I'm a bit unlearned in the subject of typewriters so I apologize if that sounds silly. 😅 I could have done some googling, but I felt like a typewriter enthusiast would enjoy the inquiring more. LOL
Did you move the color selection switch out of the stencil position on the Royal Deluxe? It almost looks like just an oversight. - Hopefully you got it working again. My favorite is a Royal Quiet DeLuxe and I can fly on mine- so smooth and crisp!
@adventuredenali Are any of your typewriters similar to those of famous writers? This vid reminds me of Steinbeck and "Travels With Charlie." Love your material - keep up the great work!
If you can find a good Royal KMM or KMG, get one! They are big, beefy, solid machines with a delightfully light and smooth touch. They are also beautiful, and not rare, so you can find part machines easily. They are also not expensive!
I am really enjoying your channel. I love and have 3 typewriters. Can you direct me as to where I can buy ribbon for them? Thank you. I'm also writing a book, so we have so much in common. Love your channel.
LOVELY collection! Have you considered adding a Hermes to your collection? I have the Hermes 3000 and Hermes Rocket Cursive script. Both are portable but the Rocket is a bit lighter and travel friendly. The Mercedes of typewriters. Tom Hanks still writes his scripts on his Hermes 3000. LOVELY typewriters that type as smooth as butter.
I have a 1966 Olympia SG3, and a 1972 Olivetti Lettera 30. I would love to eventually add an older machine, but I've been trying very hard to not have a collection 🤣. We will see,....
You actually a Royal De Luxe, not a Royal Quiet De Luxe. In the 1930's there was the Royal Quiet and the Royal De Luxe. It wasn't until 1939 that Royal combined the two models into the Royal Quiet De Luxe. I have a Royal Quiet and I'm looking for a De Luxe which looks almost identical. The 1939 Quiet De Luxe is a little more rounded and doesn't have the as wide of a chrome band around the middle. Your machine is much prettier I think. First time watching one of your videos and loved it!
So, can you speak to the writing experience on the Rheinmetall? I have an opportunity to buy either a Rheinmetall KST or an Adler J5 and am trying to decide. The J5 I know will be a fantastic typer, but I hate the blue body and yellowed (formerly white) keys... whereas the Rheinmetall on offer is a gorgeous lacquered black with black keys. Stunning. But if the writing experience is $#!+, I'll pick the Adler.
Hello ! I just found a Rheinmetall machine at a flea market! I was wondering how you were able to unlock the support? I was thinking of unscrewing... but it unscrews in a vacuum... is there a trick? Greetings from Switzerland! 🙋🏻♀️🤗
Was it a custom paint job or native to that model? If you ever find the need to sell that beauty, let me know 😁. Keep up the good work on your typewriter videos!
If only it were that simple. 😂 That’s one of the first things any typist should learn! It’s just not advancing - it’s stuck, no matter which way it’s set.