HOW MANY KINDS ARE THERE?
How many different kinds of typewriters are there?
I'm far from an
expert
(put me somewhere just beyond neophyte, closing in on dilettante), but
I'd estimate hundreds. Perhaps thousands. I've read as much as I can
find
and checked out some impressive collections.

As soon as I think I've
seen or read about every possible one, half a dozen
more show up to challenge my complacency.
They range from the old Underwoods
(left, an Underwood Noiseless 77), which were among the most
successful
and numerous (and therefore least collectible) of the old typewriters,
to the rare Sholes & Glidden (right), Bar-Lock , Williams,
Crandall, Crary, Fitch, Salter and Saturn.
Basically, there are two
categories of old typewriters: Index
and keyboard
.
Updated
07.27.06
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