Robert Messenger on the man behind Commodore
Will Davis on Consuls
PS, Dec. 2014: I assumed this was a Cavalier Speedwriter, but according to Canadian collector Uwe Wachtendorf, it is actually a Speedwriter Cavalier! See other Speedwriter models on The Typewriter Database.
Richard, the cavalier ease (ha!) with which you remove the carriage from your new machines alarms and upsets me. Remind me to ship you any machines I plan to paint, so they can be field-stripped by an expert. I envision you doing it blindfolded.
ReplyDelete"This is my typewriter. There are many like it, but this one is mine."
Clemens: the speed with which you conjur up Full Metal Jacket alarms and upsets me...
ReplyDeleteMike, I think you're onto something. I looked up the Rifleman's Creed and think we should all adapt and adopt it:
ReplyDeleteThis is my typewriter. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My typewriter is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. My typewriter, without me, is useless. Without my typewriter, I am useless. I must type true. I must write better than my enemy who is trying to outwrite me. I must outwrite him before he outwrites me. My typewriter and myself know that what counts in writing is not the number of sheets we type, the noise we make, nor the ribbons we wear out. We know that it is the words that count. My typewriter is human, even as I, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its carriage and its keys. I will ever guard it against the ravages of weather and damage as I will ever guard my legs, my arms, my eyes and my heart against damage. I will keep my typewriter clean and ready. We will become part of each other. Before God, I swear this creed.
Richard, I laughed my head off at your "Typewriter's (or "typist's") creed! I love it! And I just drove 1400 miles round trip to fetch an Oliver 9. I don't do that for just any type writer! The Cavalier has a very soothing color scheme.
ReplyDeleteI purchased a Cavalier Speedwriter recently here in Toronto. I found a flyer from Simpsons Sears from 1963 that says it was sold for $49.97 or $8.00 per month. Canadian that is. I guess Sears re-branded it a Cavalier if this helps solve the puzzle as to how it got the name. I enjoy using it. It is solid and fairly speedy. It is also pleasant to look at.
ReplyDeleteI did a quick Google images search for 'Speedwriter typewriter' and found this, which I hadn't read before.
ReplyDeleteThe reason? I just bought a Speedwriter myself, though it is one of the older Consuls (rather like the one I already have). I'll be blogging about it soon.
Here is a question for you; which writer used a Commodore Speedwriter for their work?
ReplyDeleteThanks,
John