Typewriters

Throughout the twentieth century, a number of prominent authors have demonstrated steadfast loyalty to their chosen typewriter make and model.

Following is a list of authors and the typewriters they favored:

Arthur C. Clarke, b. 1917
(2001: A Space Odyssey)


Remington Noiseless Portable, 1940s


Agatha Christie, 1890-1976
(Agatha Christie's books have sold over one billion copies (in English alone). She wrote 79 novels and short story collections and is outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare.)


Remington Portable, 1920s


Note: This machine is the first portable to use a 4-bank standard keyboard. Previous portable models featured a 3-bank keyboard:


William Faulkner, 1897-1962
(Although Faulkner normally wrote by hand, he wrote so quickly that he often typed up his day's work, in order to read it the following morning.)


Underwood Standard Portable, late 1920s


Allen Ginsberg, 1926-1997
"I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness..."


Remington Rand No. 5, 1930s


That's a pretty handsome machine, Mr. Ginsberg.


Ernest Hemingway, 1899-1961


Royal Quiet DeLuxe Portable, early 1940s


John Irving, b. 1942
(The World According to Garp, A Prayer for Owen Meany)


IBM Selectric, 1970s


Tennessee Williams, 1911-1983

Olivetti Studio 44, 1950s



Here is the model I use:

Smith-Corona Sterling (featuring "Floating Shift"), late 1940s
(It works like a charm!)

For more typewriters, click here.

Check out "Authors A to Z" to see a list of more than fifty authors and the typewriters they favored.