An Old Typewriter and a Big Idea

It all started with a vintage typewriter we happened upon at a Saturday Farmer's Market. My youngest took to it immediately, running his hands over the keys while listening to the woman from a local writers group explain how it worked. She encouraged him to try it out by providing a short writing prompt, "I love you more than _______."

A few moments later, he ran over with a huge smile on his face handing me a slip of paper.

"I love you more than Christmas."

Talk about feeling all the feels! From that day on, any time we stopped by a thrift store he made a point of looking for an old typewriter of his own. At a used bookstore, he found a clunky one hidden in a corner for $100, "But it doesn't even work!" A few months later he came across another at a second hand store, an electric model for $50, which didn't quite fit the bill either.

Considering the beautiful note he had gifted me with, the upcoming Christmas holiday seemed the perfect opportunity to find a vintage typewriter to gift him in return. Casually, I asked why he had been drawn to vintage typewriters in the first place -

"When you look at it, you can see all the moving parts. You can see straight through it to the other side. There's nothing like it today that allows you to see inside like that. Modern computers are hidden behind layers, but an old typewriter .. I can see exactly how it works, and learn about it all on my own."

Vintage typewriters have had quite a resurgence in recent years. Actor Tom Hanks has over 100 in his personal collection. When gifted a 1934 Smith Corona typewriter by a group hoping to interview him on their podcast, he typed this response.

Tom went on to describe what he sees as the main difference between sitting at a typewriter and sitting at a computer,

"A typewriter is for musing. And letters.

A computer is for work."

Considering modern technology, you can't blame anyone these days for choosing to work on a computer, but the idea of 'musing' over an old typewriter also holds great appeal to anyone who looks at a blank page and sees a world of possibility. How could you not, considering many of our greatest authors have written their masterpieces on typewriters.

Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond novels, had his very own personal gold-plated Royal typewriter crafted by the company, and even James Bond himself used a Royal 'Quiet Deluxe' typewriter in the movie, Dr. No. Ernest Hemingway also favored Royal typewriters for his novels.

After reading that, I figured if a Royal 'Quiet Deluxe' was good enough for James Bond, Ian Fleming, and Ernest Hemingway, then surely it was good enough for my 12 year old aspiring typist.

The Royal Typewriter Company was originally founded in a machine shop in Brooklyn, New York in 1904. Today its successor, Royal Consumer Products, continues to manufacture a few classic typewriter models. While I considered buying one of their newer models, there's something about the history that comes with an old Royal typewriter that I knew would appeal to my vintage loving son.

After a few hours of searching on eBay, I found the one. A beautiful, and working, 1953 Royal 'Quiet Deluxe' vintage typewriter.

Who knows if my son might one day become the next Tom Hanks, Ian Fleming or Ernest Hemingway, but there's one thing I do know for sure. When he opens the box on Christmas morning, there will be a single typed sentence waiting for him inside that reads...

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