Famous Authors and Their Typewriters

and 

Nelle Harper Lee, author 

of

To Kill a Mockingbirgd

While most novelists nowadays are inseparable from their laptops, up until some decades ago the typewriter was among the author's most treasured possessions.  Many of the greatest stories have been written on the typewriter, making it one of the most genius inventions of all time.  

Mark Twain

(1835-1910)

Mark Twain supposedly is the first ever author to submit a typed manuscript although  which script is not clear.  In his autobiography in 1904, he claimed he was the first person in the world to apply the type-machine to literature which he remembered to be The Adventures of Tom Sawyer written in 1876 and using a Remington typewriter. However, it is now believed this story was published from a hand-written manuscript.  Historians thinks it was Life on the Mississippi in 1882 that is the origiinal typed manuscript although it was dictated by Twain to a typist from a handwritten version.  The same Remington was given away twice by Twain for being frustrated by it, but it returned to him both times.  Before Twain owned a Remington, it is thought that in the early 1870s he acquired a Sholes & Glidden typewriter sold by Remington Arms.

Sholes & Glidden Typewriter 

The Remington 2 Standard was the Model T of typewriters, simple, reliable and practical.  It was the first typewriter to be produced in great quantity, introducing the world to typewriting and paving the way for the explosion in typewriter design and manufacturing which soon followed.  Introduced in 1878, the Remington 2 was the first typewriter to feature a shift key enabling both uppercae and lowercase characters.  Each key typed two characters much like a modern computer keyboard.  

Ernest Hemingway

(1899-1961)

In the times of Ernest Hemingway typewriters had become more manageable and were widely used by writers.  Hemingway had worn out several typewriters including the Corona No. 3, No. 4 and several Royal portables.  Supposedly, the author of The Sun Also Rises (1926), A Farewell to Arms (1929) and Old Man and the Sea (1952) preferred to write standing up, keeping his Royal Quiet de Luxe typewriter on a bookshelf.  

Agatha Christie

(1890-1976)

The typewriter connected to Agatha Christie's famous for Hercule Poroit and Miss Marple detectives, is the 1937 Remington Portable Typewriter. 

Christie started off with an Empire from her sister and got to appreciate the typewriter, in general, when she broke her wrist.  Dictating her stories to a secretary made Christie realize how much the writing and typing processes helped her choose the best words instead of repeating comparable sentences several times.  Writing on a typewriter also kept her in the writer's flow.  Other typewriters Agatha Christie presumably used were a Corona Portable and a Remington Victor T. 

Orson Welles 

(1915-1985)

Orson Welles proves that typewriters were perfect for writing plays.  The American cultural icon, producer, screenwriter and actor is mostly famous for the movie Citizen Kane (1941) and the play War of the Worlds (1938).  He used an Underwood Standard Portable typewriter with his name and address painted on the case.  

Danielle Steel

As Danielle Steel and many other famous authors prove it is not too late to start using a typewriter.  It can provide a welcome change from staring at the screen of your computer and who knows, it might just inspire you to write a great novel.  Steel's choice of typewriter is an Olympia SG1. Steel and several other writers today continue to use typewriters despite the widespread adoption of computers.  

Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister during WWII used an Imperial 58 typewriter.  Churchill, known for his stirring speeches and extensive writings, relied on this robust machine to compose many of important wartime communications and literary works.  The Imperial 58 is a testament to Churchill's prolific output and enduring influence.  One of Churchills' Imperial typewriters is on display at the Churchill War Rooms in London.  This museum, part of the Imperial War Museums, preserves the underground bunker that sheltered Churchill and his government during the Blitz.  

Andy Rooney (1919-2011) and William F. Buckley, Jr. were among many writers who were very reluctant to switch from typewriters to computers.  

Andrew Aitken "Andy" Rooney at his 1920 Underwood Typewriter

"Those old Underwoods were the best typewriters ever built and one of the best of anything ever built.  Even when you weren't writing anything interesting they were satisfying to pound on and I never outgrew my sentimental attachment to them."

Andy Rooney

Andy Rooney's 1923 Underwood with auction tag.

"This vintage 1923 Underwood typewriter used by Andy Rooney in his home office."

William F. Buckley with his canine companion, Freddy.  

Freddy was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who was the brother of one of President Reagan's White house dogs.   

Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr.

(1916-2009)

Circa May 6, 1970

Cronkite used a Remington 5 Streamline typewriter. The art deco style typewriter, popular in the 1930s was known for its sleek design and portability.  Cronkite also used a Corona typewriter. 

Truman Capote

(1924-1984)

"To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it's about,, but the inner music that words make."

Truman Capote

Truman Capote's choice of typewriters was a 1961 Smith-Corona Electra 110 in his later years.  He likely typed his last three novels on it.  The typewriter was purchased from Joanne Carson.  Joan was good friends with Capote and even maintained a writing room and bedroom in her Los Angeles home for when Capote was in town and sitting down at at the Electra 110.

Vintage typewriters used by Harper Lee and Truman Capote, childhood friends in Monroeville, Alabama and sometimes collaborative authors sit side by side in a display arrea that was part of the Alabama Types: Poets, Playwrights and Storytellers exhibit at the Dinah Washington Cultural Center at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.  The Capote typewriter is part of a collection of vintage typewriters that traveled the Southeast in 2018 under the auspices of the Southern Literary Trail.  The Lee typewriter, on which she wrote To Kill a Mockingbird, was on loan from Harper Lee LLC in Monroeville. 

Lee's father seeing that Nelle and Truman had fallen in love with words, encouraged them with a special gift.  When they were old enough to write stories on their own, he gave them a typewriter.  It was the 1930s equivalent of a word processor:  a rugged, steel-encased black Underwood No. 5 weighing 20 pounds. 

Nellie Harper Lee

(1926-2016)

The 1960 Southern Gothic novel's critical success and its thoughtful engagement with social issues have solidified its position as a fundamental text in American literature.  

"As you grow up, always tell the truth, do no harm to others, and don't think you are the most important being on earth."

Nelle Harper Lee 

The Formative Years of Nelle Harper Lee

Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama as the youngest of four children.  Her mother was a homemaker and her father, a lawyer though also serving in the state legislature.  Lee's name, 'Nelle' was her grandmother Ellen's name spelled backward and 'Harper' was in honor of Dr. William W. Harper.  The Southern environment of her childhood and her family's history which included being a distant relation to Confederate General Robert E. Lee influenced her later writing.  Lee studied English literature in high school and attended the University of Alabama initially studying law before deciding to pursue a career in writing using Harper Lee as her pen name to ensure proper pronunciation.

.. Lee's father was her model for Atticus Finch ..

in

.. To Kill a Mockingbird ..

Atticus Finch was played by Gregory Peck in the 1962 film adaptation who symbolizes moral integrity, justice and unwavering commitment to fairness.  He embodies the idea that everyone deserves equal treatment under the law and that one should always stand for what is right, even when faced with adversity and societal prejudice.  

RIP Atticus Finch

Harper Lee's Quiet Deluxe Royal Portable Typewriter

A letter typed and signed by Harper Lee to a devoted fan.

Circa September 13, 1960

Harper Lee moved to NYC in 1949 to follow her literary ambitions.  While working various jobs, she wrote "To Kill a Mockingbird" completing the manuscript in 1957 and perfecting it with the help of her editor before its publication on July 11, 1960.  The novel's release during the Civil Rights Movement heightened its resonance with the American public.  Lee lived in Manhattan for several decades, maintaining a private life and engaging in few public appearances.  Although she began other literary projects, none reached completion, contributing to her reputation as a literary enigma. 

Helen Keller was an excellent typist.  Though Keller was blind she could use a standard typewriter as well as a braillewriter.* In fact, she was a better typist than her companions Anne Sullivan Macy and Polly Thomson.  

*The Perkins braillewriter was invented in 1951.  One of its features was an audible bell that sounded 7 spaces before the end of a line. 

1957 Smith Corona Silent-Super 

Alpine Blue

This typewriter started my personal writing journey in high school

eventually leading me to the creation of this blog using a Samsung Tablet S5e.

People who buy typewriters today include writers, collectors and those who enjoy the nostalgia and simplicity of using a machine that doesn't have distractions.  Even though most of us now use computers, there is something about the experience and the quiet focus that keeps typewriters alive and relevant, today. 

Oliver Typewriter No. 9, Visigraph, Remington Noiseless

Three Vintage Typewriters 

at the 

Mayville Train Depot

Town of Chautauqua Historical Society 

A Vintage Royal Typewriter 

Circa 1930s

 

There's a hush just before the first fireworks goes up.  A collective breath held across lawns, blankets, rooftops and sidewalks.  Then, with a crackle and a burst, the night sky blooms in color and we remember it's the Fourth of July!  

Fireworks are more than a spectacle.  They are part of our American rhythm.  They are loud, proud and deeply rooted in tradition.  Since 1777, just one year after the Declaration of Independence was signed, fireworks have been used to mark our freeom with joy and awe.  They echo the "rockets red glare" of Francis Scott Key's anthem and stir the deep feeling of pride and perseverance.

For children, it's magic.  For elders, it's memory.  For families gathered in folding chairs and pickup beds, it's tradition.  Whether it's a small-town display or a big-city production it's a shared moment of looking up together, united in wonder, a part of what keeps us connected.  

Fireworks also remind us of something quieter: resilience.  Each burst is a celebration of survival, of courage, of how far we've come as a country and as communities.  We light up the sky not just to remember independence, but to rejoice in it.  We shine outward because we carry a spark within. 

So as you watch the colors dance across the stars this July 4th, take a moment.  Listen to the oohs and aahs.  Feel the beat in your chest and know that even though the fireworks fade the spirit behind them burns bright.

God Bless Our Troops and God Bless America.

 

The Original Mast General Store

Valle Crucis, North Carolina

Circa 1950

The Valle Crucis location was added to the National Historic Register of Places

 April 3, 1973.

The Mast General store, a historic Southern icon, has a rich history spanning over a century, beginning in Valle Crucis.  The original store was founded in 1883 by Henry Taylor and referred to as the Taylor General Store.  It eventually became known as the Mast General Store after W. W. Mast took over in 1913.  The store was a vital part of the community, offering a wide variety of goods and services.  It became known for its slogan, "if you can't buy it here, you don't need it".

The original Mast Store carried everything from cradles to caskets.

In 1988, the first store outside of Valle Crucis opened in Boone, North Carolina. In 1991-2005, additional stores opened in the folllowing NC communities .. Waynesville, Hendersonville, Asheville and a smaller Candy and More concept store in Blowing Rock.

The Mast General Store continues to operate with eleven locations across North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.  Mast General Stores are recognized by the National Register of Historic Places as one of the best remaining examples of the general store concept. It is still the center of the community housing the post office in Valle Crucis and offering coffee for 5 cents on the honor system.  

The store sells commodities such as home goods, outdoor clothing and gear, footwear, work clothes, old-fashioned wind-up toys, regional books and music, honey and more than 500 varieties of old-fashioned candy! 

Candy! Galore!

And More Candy!

Mast General Store

402 S. Gay Street 

Knoxville, Tennessee

The City of Knoxville was the first capital of Tennessee.  The plat for the town was surveyed by Charles MClung and included provisions for a town common along the waterfront, a church, a graveyard and a school which was chartered as Blount College in 1794 which was the beginning of the University of Tennessee.

Described as an "alternatively quiet and rowdy river town", Knoxville for a time was indeed part of the Wild West.  The infamous Kid Curry, a member of Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch, was arrested and held in Knoxville's jail.  He later escaped and galloped out of town on a horse he stole from the sheriff.

Manufacturing and distributing became an important part of the local economy for Knoxville with the Tennessee River and the rail lines making much of the city's growth possible.  Gay Street was the center of commercial development and was lined with stores, warehouses, stables and more.  And then came the Million Dollar Fire of 1897.

It was 4 a.m. in the morning when flames were seen leaping through the roof of the Hotel Knoxville located right where the Mast General Store is today.  The fire department scrambled and got as many boarders out as possible.

Knowing the fire could get out of control, the fire department in Chattanooga was contacted and their pumper made the journey to Knoxville aboard a train in record time (at speeds topping 90 miles per hour).  One building had to be dynamited to control the blaze. By the end of the day, only five lives were lost, the Chattanooga Fire Department returned home to cheers and two blocks of Gay Street lay in smoldering ruins.  The losses were valued at $1 million and the cause is yet undetermined. 

Out of the ashes arose the building residents and tourists see today on Gay Street though when the building was rebuilt, it was home to the McNulty Grocery and Dry Goods Co.  In 1901, M.M. Newcomer's Department Store made the move from across the street into the buildng at 402 South Gay Street.  It was one of Knoxville's bigger stores.

As an interesting aside to the history of the actual building, the original Mast Store in Valle Crucis had a long relationship with Knoxville, which makes the store on Gay Street even more interesting.  In perusing the invoices for goods purchased for the shelves from 1902 until 1920, numerous invoices had Knoxville addresses. One of the addresses is just down the street at what is now the Downtown Grill and Brewery.  In the early 1900s, it was Woodruffs, a wholesale and retail house for all kinds of goods.  

In 1932, the Knox Dry Goods Store replaced M.M. Newcomers.  Through the years it provided all kinds of goods and services including a beauty shop on the second floor.   Knox Dry Gods modernized its name in 1954 becoming known as The Knox.  It was a mainstay in the downtown area until 1977 when The Boston Store moved into the building.

The Mast General Store opened in August 2006. 

Knoxville is now a city offering sophistication along with down home style.  When visiitng the area, stop in at the Visitor Center to enjoy the Blue Plate Special.  It's not something you eat, but rather a heapin' helpin' of good music, plus you'll discover all kinds of places you'll want to visit.  

Sidenote:  Information about The Boston Store and its history will appear on this blog as one was in Erie, Pennyslvania and many other U.S. cities.

 

AIRSTREAM

The famous travel trailer has many nicknames 

 "Silver Bullet" 

and

 "Toaster-on-Wheels".

Summer 2025 is here so look for the legendary and iconic Airstream!

Sleek and shiny, Airstream trailers have been turning heads on the highways since they first started caravanning across America in the 1930s.  These "aluminum skinned, gleaming silver bullets" are currently enjoying a revival in popularity.  Praised for their clean lines and timeless aesthetics, movie stars and design buffs are snapping up these vintage beauties.  Airstream has always been synonymous with the freedom of the open road.  Today the dream lives on.

Wally Byam

Airstream trailers are manufactured in Jackson Center, Ohio.  The company, now a division of THOR Industries, is the oldest in the industry.  THOR Industries, Inc. was founded on August 29, 1980 when Wade F.B. Thompson and Peter B. Orthwein acquired Airstream.  THOR became a public company listed on the over-the-counter market.  In 1986, THOR was listed on the New York Stock Exchange.  The same year, Forbes Magazine ranked THOR sixth out of the "200 best small companies in America".

Airstream was created by Wally Byam who began building Masonite trailers in Los Angeles during the late 1920s.  In 1936, Byam introduced the "Airstream Clipper" which was essentially a rebadged 1935 Bowlus Road Chief with the door relocated from the front to the side.  Bowlus is an American luxury travel trailer with a front door, aerodynamic shape with a polished aluminum body. Hawley Bowlus designed and built the travel trailer using his knowledge of aircraft construction.  Aspects of the design were used on the first aluminum-body Airstream trailers and the Airstream Clipper.  Bowlus stopped producing the trailers in 1936.  

William Hawley Bowlus

(1896-1967)

Bowlus was an American designer, engineer and builder of aircraft (especially gliders) and recreational vehicles in the 1930s and 1940s.  Today, he is most widely known for his creation of the world's first aluminum travel trailer, the Bowlus Road Chief which Airstream imitated in 1936 to create the Clipper.  This followed his prior framed work as the superintendent of construction on Charles Lindbergh's aircraft, the Spirit of St. Louis. 

Bowlus was an expert at soaring flight and gave gliding lessons to both Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh.  In 1930, he and Lindbergh glided at various locations in California.  Most notably, Point Loma in San Diego where Bowlus conducted many flight tests.  Anne Lindbergh became the first woman in the United States to receive a "first class" glider license.  In 1954, Bowlus was inducted into the Soaring Hall of Fame.  

This 1962 Airstream Tradewind on display at a Vintage Camper Trailer Rally in Gillette, Wyoming was custom ordered by then President of Airstream, Art Costello in 1961.  This trailer is one of only two known gold Airstreams.  

The Airstream brand is truly a design classic so it is no wonder it's always been popular among famous people who have acquired a taste for the finer things in life.  Whether it's actors, musicians, sportspeople or even politicians, the Airstream has never lost its appeal.  Among the names are the following:  Pamela Anderson.  In 2001, Anderson was given her Airstream by Playboy magnate, Hugh Hefner.  In 2006, an update to the interior decor was done. Since then it was sold at auction. 

The Apollo 11 Astronauts, Commander Neil A. Armstrong, Command Module Pilot, Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr.  splashed down in the Apollo capsule July 1969 following the first moon landing.  The astronauts then spent a period of time aboard a Mobile Quarantine Facility.  The facility was a specially converted Airstream trailer.  An Airstream dubbed the 'Astrovan' was used for many years to transport astronauts from the mission control building a few miles to the Space Shuttle launchpad.

The Mobile Quarantine Facility aboard the USS Hornet listen to United States 

President Richard M. Nixon on July 24, 1969 as he welcomes them back to Earth.  President Nixon Congratulated these brave men on their safe journey to the moon, their safe landing and their safe return to Earth. 

Oscar winning actor, Tom Hanks owned an Airstream and used it while on location during the making of eighteen of his films between the 1980s and the 2010s.  Hanks would rest between takes in his own personal Airstream trailer parked on set for the duration of filming.  Hanks preferred to live in his Airstream than stay in the trailers provided by the studios.  Hanks stated "I had spent too much time in regular trailers with ugly decor and horribly uncomfortable furniture so I decided to buy a brand-new Airstream shell with an interior made to my own request."  His Airstream was used by the actor on the sets of Philadelphia, Castaway, Sleepless in Seattle and Forrest Gump.  In 2021, this piece of movie history was sold at auction by Bonhams for $235,200.00.

Other actors in love with Airstream include Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, 

Matthew McConaughey, Sean Penn, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt,

Denzel Washington and Sandra Bullock.

It's not just entertainers who have displayed great affection for Airstream.  These fabulous trailers have also impressed in the world of politics.  President John F. Kennedy used one as his mobile office during weapons testing in the New Mexico desert.  First Lady Laura Bush used one as her private trailer during a morale mission to visit troops in Afghanistan in 2008.