The Love of the Iron Whim

Right now I'm reading and enjoying The Iron Whim: A Fragmented History of Typewriting by Darren Wershler-Henry. It's not a typical history of the typewriter – more of a social and psychological study of this still very fascinating and beautiful machine. Here's a link to a little article about the author, in This Magazine, and a link to the author's web site.

And why call it The Iron Whim? Well, the author discovered that Marshall McLuhan in his In Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, called his chapter on the typewriter "Into the Age of the Iron Whim." Apparently whim doesn't just mean "a fanciful or fantastic creation; a whimsical object; a capricious notion of fancy"; it also means "a machine...consisting of a vertical shaft containing a large drum with one or more radiating arms or beams." I think that the word whim is very fitting for an old typewriter, don't you? An old typewriter is strong, sturdy and mechanical, as well as being rather silly-looking clunker, don't ya think? All the more reason to start a new category about the subject of typewriters (which is beginning to become a bit of an obsession with me) called The Iron Whim.

And speaking of said Iron Whim, did you know that there's a fabulous little display going on right now at the Royal Ontario Museum of early typewriters? We're not talking about the run-of-the-mill clunky Underwoods (which I think are divine, by the way) we're talking about heavy, clunky, very whim-sical machines that look nothing like what we would imagine a typewriter to be. The display is on until June 29th, so do pop in if you're even remotely intrigued. And even if you don't go, do check out this video podcast of Martin Howard, the collector of said bizarre typewriters.

And guess what? I even took a few piccies of those Iron Whim beasties while I was there...enjoy!

Comments

[Ellen]

I could see someone wanting to collect these. They're fascinating and quite beautiful. (One thing I so miss about Toronto is the ROM)

[Beth]

I still have my old typewriter - a thing of beauty and a joy forever despite those keys that stick.
(It's not as old as those beauties, though!)

[Lyn Hopper]

This made me think of the experience described by Sarah Susanka in The Not So Big Life. Worth reading, if only to have "Olivetti" running around in your head like opera.

[spleenal]

These old typewriters are things of beauty.
nothing like my crappy keyboard

[bookfraud]

pathetic admission du jour: when i saw the headline "the love of the iron whim" on my rss newsreader, i thought the post was going to be about the "iron man" movie, for which my inner geek is totally spazzed to see.

but i liked your post, i really did. i may have to make it to the rom and see those crazy old clackers.