120 Spring 2018

ETCetera Journal of the Early Typewriter Collectors’ Association No. 120 • Spring 2018 In This Issue Editor’s Notes 2 Fiction by Typewriter 3 The Tale of the Erika 7 Typewriters at the Exposition 8 Collectors’ Corner 16 The Shooting of Dewayne Cantrell 18 New on the Shelf 21 Around the World 24 Letters 24 ETCetera No. 120 • Spring 2018 • 1 ETCetera Journal of the Early Typewriter Collectors’ Association Editor’s No. 120 • Spring 2018 Notes Editor Richard Polt peter weil has been one of the most 4745 Winton Rd. dedicated and erudite contributors to Cincinnati, OH 45232 USA this magazine for the last dozen years— 513.591.1226 and many of us have noticed the thanks [email protected] that he so often gave to his wife, Corne- lia “Corny” Weil, for her editorial help Secretary-Treasurer with his “Ephemera” columns and other Herman Price articles. I am sad to report that Corny passed away on January 24. Board of Directors Peter writes, “Corny was my in- Bert Kerschbaumer house editor for as long as she was able Robert Messenger to read and function as an editor, which Richard Polt is around 51-52 years of our 55-year Cornelia “Corny” Weil Peter Weil marriage. She went over about 37 of the Reinmar Wochinz 46 ‘Ephemera’ columns I have written (including part 3 of the world’s fairs Design series) and three of six other articles Nick Tauriainen I have done for our magazine. Thus, she made a significant contribution to Translation my work for ETCetera and thus to any German: Lars Borrmann and quality it had. Moreover, she sat with Norbert Schwarz me patiently while I researched and Spanish: Luis Galiano worked on the drafts of much of the material, responding to my exclama- Proofreading tions and comments and, at times, mak- Whitney Carnahan ing suggestions about different angles on the subjects. She always looked for- etconline.org ward to the arrival of the actual printed Bob Nelson magazine, exclaiming on its beauty ETCetera welcomes submissions that here, what she would have done differ- shed new light on typewriter history, ently about layout there. She loved the toon, “Orberts Typo’s,” in a few issues. based on original sources and firsthand whole process.” Richard Boydstun remembers that Bob experience. Material not previously Corny was well equipped to advise Pe- “sent me boxes of parts that I never published elsewhere will have priority. ter, as she was a journalist and the long- requested, that he thought I might need time managing editor of the University someday. He was fondly known as the ©2017 ETCA. Published quarterly. of Delaware Messenger. She also shared ‘Hammond King.’” Calendar year subscription: $35, North Peter’s enthusiasm for typewriters, and Ray Gorden of Fond Du Lac, Wiscon- America; $40 elsewhere. Payment: was able to enjoy his present of a bright sin, passed away on February 9 at age check or PayPal. Herman J. Price, 195 red Olivetti MP1 last Christmas. All of the 86. Dennis Clark recalls, “At its peak, Greenbag Rd, Morgantown, WV 26501, directors of ETCA and all those involved his collection hit a high of about 400 USA. [email protected] with ETCetera offer Peter their condo- machines. Although his collection is lences. We also take inspiration from this long gone, he still loved to talk at length ISSN 1062-9645 story of a happy marriage. about antique typewriters.” I have also learned that two more long- Let’s remember these members of our time typewriter enthusiasts died recently. community and keep in mind that while On the Cover Bob Nelson passed away on October typewriters are fun, what really makes 12 at age 71. Bob was an active Southern the hobby meaningful is the chance to See Page 23. California collector who contributed share it with fellow collectors, friends, to ETCetera, even appearing in a car- and loved ones. ■ 2 • ETCetera No. 120 • Spring 2018 Fiction by Typewriter An Interview with Three Writers and Some Additional Thoughts by frederic s. durbin what draws me the most to type- ers since age 10, when she had a little gray orally and also how a reader reads stories, writers is the fact that they’re writing Royal Signet portable. (She now owns an so I think something written that way is tools. I am a professional fiction writer, a exact duplicate whose key sounds and more likely to make sense. The piece can life-long lover of purposefully arranged bell make her heart flutter with memo- be modified later, but using a typewriter words, and these are machines built for ries.) Her most recent book is Train of forces a writer to write from beginning to doing what I do. Like many readers of this Thought: Travel Essays from a One-Track end. Even if it needs a lot of revision, you magazine, I stand comfortably astride the Mind, Vicious Circle Publishing, 2017. are at least left with something complete. technology of the present and the past: I Taylor Harbin’s fantasy and science- use both computers and typewriters every fiction stories have appeared in Bards and day, appreciating each well-built piece of Sages Quarterly. He has also contributed equipment for its beauty and effective- essays on the publishing industry to ness. I have no trouble switching back and Re:Fiction. A tour guide at a historic site forth between typewriter and computer by day, he writes at night on his novel. keys. Usually without conscious thought, I Mark Petersen describes himself as even space once between sentences on my a young writer and poet from Virginia, digital screen, twice when I’m thwacking currently working on a classic monster inked words onto paper. novel and a collection of poetry about But although I navigate between coal mining. I would add that Mark gives these two worlds with joyful exuber- me great hope for the future of the typo- ance, each medium, for me, has its own sphere: for one so young, he is already distinct uses: my typewriters are for a fount of knowledge about typewriters notes, ideas, lists, checks, journaling, and and their history. copious correspondence; my computer FSD: What advantage does the type- and AlphaSmart Neo are for fiction writ- writer give you over writing either long- Linda: I have an unnatural soft spot ing. I confess it freely: I think with my hand or by computer? for putzing around online when I should fingers as well as my head. I tweak the be working. It’s an ugly habit. My first first draft as I’m laying it down; I change NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing things, move parts around. See, I came of Month) in November 2004 was done on age with word processors. They had just an AlphaSmart 2000, a sort of plastic, arrived—elegant and convenient—when electronic, LCD-screen “typewriter.” You I was learning to be a working writer. I can see only four lines of text on the tiny love the fluidity they provide. The com- screen, and it has no ties to the online puter, for all its speed, has done nothing world. I still use AlphaSmarts (later mod- to alter the fact that I am a slow, deliber- els) when I need distraction-free writ- ate writer who thinks carefully about ing outside the house. But since I work each sentence. My system has worked for from home, I can often find time to write me through three published novels and fiction here. That’s when I break out the a slew of short stories and articles—and typewriters. They have the added fun of reams of work still on the drawing board. letting me see paper move through the And if it ain’t broke, as the saying goes... machine, plus solid, loud clickety-clacking That’s me. But there are writers out noises. By midway through the month, I there—dare I say a growing number can see a tidy stack of paper piling up. No of them?—who have rediscovered the Mark: Intentionality and linearity. You Facebook sucking my life away. No Twit- typewriter as the best tool for producing must be intentional because you cannot ter tweeting in my ear. Just the clickety- at least some of their creative literary undo anything already written. Instead, clack of the Selectric keys. All month long. work. I offer here my interview with you have to carefully consider it before put- It’s glorious. I can scribble notes and ideas three of them. ting it to the page. Because you cannot go longhand on paper, but I’ve been typing Linda M. Au is a humorist and novelist back and add things easily, you must think since age 10, so speed helps me get ideas who has been faithfully using typewrit- in a linear way, which is how we tell stories down as fast as I can think them. ETCetera No. 120 • Spring 2018 • 3 reach the keys.) Both of these machines is being used for something else at the use the “golf-ball” type [elements] that moment. And who’s going to steal a spiral Selectrics are known for, so I can change notebook? Once the first draft is done, the look of my typing anytime I want. I scan it into my computer and convert Taylor: I’m partial to the Olympia it to a word-processor file using ABBYY brand in general, but I’ve put more words FineReader Pro. The hard copy goes into through my SG1 than any other machine. a filing cabinet to cool.

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