1875: The Type-Writer is no “little joker”

In the space of one column of newsprint, this 1875 article touches upon nearly all aspects of the narrative forming around the typewriter: Mark Twain wasn’t impressed, calling it a “little joker” (later on, he’d change his opinion), but enthusiasts saw endless potential It’s not a new invention, but the culmination of “successive improvements” to machine writing Sholes & Glidden designed the first practical machine E. Remington & Sons manufactured the machine, producing some 3,000 as of 1875. (The final numbers, I seem to recall, were around 5,000 total, though the contract with Remington allowed for upwards of 25,000 machines.) It was widely believed that the typewriter would supersede manuscript writing, i.e., handwriting. Finally, while the machines were expensive ($100 and more), the typewriter would save time and resources, amply justifying the cost. Note: The image above is from a 1894 article, the caption reading “Writing his sermon” – see here. The Tri-County Independent…