Category: The Typewriter Database

Spreadin’ The Word of Jones…

The Reading Rainbow: Five editions out now and ponderin’ which ones I’ll do next. The first ones have started making it out to people who’ve posted some pics in the Facebook groups. I suppose they count as testimonials, so here’s the most recent ones. I love it when they post pics with the Bible next […]

TMTRB: Update!

Hey, look what the mailman brought today! The first proofing copy, hot off the press. I estimate another two weeks or so for edits and mailing time for the final proof – then RELEASE! You’ll be able to get your own copy by mid February, I think. The TMTRB, Yes, that’s the Book for me! […]

New Typewriter Service Manuals at TWDB!

New service manuals at TWDB, you’ll want to check ’em out! Parts and Service Manual – Olivetti Lettera 22 Parts and Service Manual – Olivetti Studio 44 Parts and Service Manual – Olivetti Lexicon 80 Adjustment Manual – Olympia SM – 1955 AMES Basic Training Manual for Standard Typewriters – 1968 Adjustment Manual, Smith-Corona “6-Series” […]

W. H. Bennington: Gambler, Scoundrelly Politician, Horse Lover, Boodler, Spy, Shotgun Slayer of Felines, Mental Scientist and Typewriter Designer.

“And Satan Appeared in Kansas City…” A collection of news clippings from 1891-1908 tracing the activities of one Wesley (AKA: William) H. Bennington in the years up to his first *five* typewriter companies. For the first 3 years of his active political life, Bennington appears to have been a well-liked and active member of his […]

Typewriter Database Update: Molle!

Well, this one wasn’t bad, though I did all the grunt work of hunting down sources before I found Robert Messenger’s blog post from Jan, 2013 where he’d already done most of that grunt work. Turned out to be a good thing, as I turned up just a couple bits that prolly weren’t available when […]

Gossen Tippa Serials Updated!

This post about a Gossen Tippa from BillM over at Fountain Pens & Typewriters prompted me to take a look at what the TWDB says about the Gossen Tippa, to see if I could improve on it and solve the mystery of the production year of Bill’s machine. TWDB is sourced from the 1955 Herstellungsdaten, […]

Nothing good is ever easy: Timelines and TWDB Part 2

Well, after 3 tries at finding a visualization library capable of timeline display that is both simple and flexible, it ended up being kind of a Goldilocks situation – Google’s libraries were too dependent on off-site resources and couldn’t do point data display (like a single date such as “company formed” or “merged with so-and-so”), […]

More fun ephemera from MTE!

So I was at MTE today, wheelin’ & deelin’ for a hummingbird that has caught my fancy, when I noticed a pile of *very dusty* books on a back shelf that I hadn’t pawed through before. Therefore, it’s time for another edition of Ephemera from the Collection of Bill Wahl! This one I snagged for […]

TWDB Mobile 0.2 is GO!

I figure about half my readers are of the age group that will immediately recognize the obscure 60’s TV show reference I just made in the title of the post. I can be fairly sure of that because Google Analytics tells me that’s the percentage of my readers who are roughly within my generation, age-wise. […]

Underwoods as far as the eye can see!

Tonight there’s an eyefull of Underwoods on the TWDB, but do not adjust your set – everything is fine. This phenomenon is the result of a massive re-organization of the Underwood category and my first attempt to really get in and clean up an entire category by normalizing and condensing Model Names. I’ve done this […]