Happy Olivetti Valentine Day

Arrow of Royal*

This weekend the whole family was ill, but there was an typewriter arrival to take my mind off the mayhem. This machine, as I understand it, represents the middle of Royal's portable line. The Quiet De Luxe had the most features. The Companion was the most inexpensive. This typewriter was a popular combination of features and price. It is the Royal:

The Arrow was a QDL minus the tabulator and chrome trim around the ribbon cover. It was a popular machine and is fairly easy to find today. This one came from eBay and was very inexpensive. It cost more to ship it that I paid for it. Take a look at that "Arrow" logo. It just screams post-war speed.

This Arrow is in an absolutely filthy state, but it was only a few dollars. Under the dirt, grime, and niter there is a very nice machine. Regardless, It's going to take some time to clean up and I am going to love every minute. 

Look Ma, no tabulator!

It must have been kept in a very damp environment, but there seems to be very little water damage to anything. The only hint to the atmospheric humidity of the previous location is the felt on the typebar rest. It's a little moldy. The mold seems to be fairly old because nothing feels damp. The chrome is bright and the keytop paper inserts are clean and flat. 

After some elbow grease I'll have a shiny new Arrow. I don't know if this one will make it full-time into the classroom. It might go on rotation with some other rarer machines. 

* A terrible, artless allusion to Achebe's third novel.

Comical Paper





I promised to include a picture of this several posts ago.

Emily Post Post

As I gather addresses to start writing my own letters, my thoughts have turned to the stationery that I want to use. The problem is that I have no stationery, at least none that is fine enough for ITAM. You always see nice stationery folded in half in old movies. I like that look. For this particular social grace I needed some expert advice. Emily to the rescue:

Whew! Thank goodness Emily was there. I was considering some comically large paper, or something decidedly liberal, but she has talked me down off that ledge. The Age of Innocence plays over and over in my mind as I look at all these rules. (Good movie from a greater book.) Without the internet, I suppose that people had more time for social rules and propriety. I particularly love that these paper sizes are nothing like American Letter sized paper. 8 1/2 x 11 is too cold and impersonal a size for a letter. I don't want to be reminded of a bill or my City of Phoenix water statement; I want a letter from a friend.

From my research only Crane offers paper in something similar to these traditional sizes. The hand-bordered Regent Blue Ecruwhite letter sheets are a perfectly respectable 6 3/8 x 8 1/2. The Ecruwhite Letter Sheets are in a similar vein.

Crane also offers a Monarch sheet (7 1/4 x 10 1/2). That size paper is intended to be folded in thirds. I don't like paper folded in thirds. If there is another company that offers paper and envelopes in matching paper I would be interested, but this seems to be an expensive, all-cotton, niche product.

An Odd Little Duck

An ommage to Dill: I'm little, but I'm BOLD!

With type this large you use up space fast.

Typebar? More like crowbar.

Red? Don't even think about it.

The Son of Crass Commercialism

If you give a man a typewriter, you can use the space to display another. Teach a man to type and he'll probably start some sort of blog.

The CTP needs to keep students in the ink-- ribbons, that is. If you purchase a 10 pack of carbons from the CTP, each dollar will go to fund the purchase of ribbons for my student's classroom typewriters. Consider helping. Postage included.Each pack is $7.00

Rare Archival Photo

Written on the back:

Gabrielle, Royal, and Mom

Feb. 1953