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The Iron Whim: A Fragmented History of Typewriting
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The Iron Whim: A Fragmented History of Typewriting Hardcover - 2007 - 1st Edition

by Darren Wershler-Henry


From the publisher

The Iron Whim is an intelligent, irreverent, and humorous history of writing culture and technology. It covers the early history and evolution of the typewriter as well as the various attempts over the years to change the keyboard configuration, but it is primarily about the role played by this marvel in the writer's life. Darren Wershler-Henry populates his book with figures as disparate as Bram Stoker, Mark Twain, Franz Kafka, Norman Mailer, Alger Hiss, William Burroughs, J. G. Ballard, Jack Kerouac, Hunter S. Thompson, Northrop Frye, David Cronenberg, and David Letterman; the soundtrack ranges from the industrial clatter of a newsroom full of Underwoods to the more muted tapping and hum of the Selectric. Wershler-Henry casts a bemused eye on the odd history of early writing machines, important and unusual typewritten texts, the creation of On the Road, and the exploits of a typewriting cockroach named Archy, numerous monkeys, poets, and even a couple of vampires. He gathers into his narrative typewriter-related rumors and anecdotes (Henry James became so accustomed to dictating his novels to a typist that he required the sound of a randomly operated typewriter even to begin to compose). And by broadening his focus to look at typewriting as a social system as well as the typewriter as a technological form, he examines the fascinating way that the tool has actually shaped the creative process.

With engaging subject matter that ranges over two hundred years of literature and culture in English, The Iron Whim builds on recent interest in books about familiar objects and taps into our nostalgia for a method of communication and composition that has all but vanished.

From the jacket flap

The fascinating history of a writing culture and technology.
"The Iron Whim is an intelligent, irreverent, and humorous history that traces the haphazard trajectory of the typewriter's development and its various evolutionary dead ends. Darren Wershler-Henry casts amusing light on the tricks of the first typewriter salesmen, important and unusual typewritten texts, the creation of On the Road, and the exploits of a typewriting cockroach named Archy, numerous monkeys, and even a couple of vampires. He turns his keen eye on typewriter-related rumours (does Thomas Mann's daughter really live on Canada's east coast with two golden retrievers who type on a machine built specifically for their use?) and anecdotes (Henry James became so accustomed to dictating his novels to a typist that he required the sound of a randomly operated typewriter even to begin to compose). And by broadening his focus to look at typewriting as well as the typewriter, he examines the fascinating way that the tool has actually shaped the creative process.
With engaging subject matter that ranges over two hundred years of literature and culture in English, "The Iron Whim builds on recent interest in books about familiar objects and taps into our nostalgia for a method of communicating that has all but vanished.

Details

  • Title The Iron Whim: A Fragmented History of Typewriting
  • Author Darren Wershler-Henry
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition number 1st
  • Edition 1
  • Pages 344
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Cornell University Press, Ithaca
  • Date 2007-04-15
  • Features Annotated, Bibliography, Dust Cover, Index, Table of Contents
  • ISBN 9780801445866 / 0801445868
  • Weight 1.16 lbs (0.53 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.77 x 5.81 x 1.05 in (22.28 x 14.76 x 2.67 cm)
  • Ages 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Library of Congress subjects Typewriters - History, Typewriting - History
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2007002217
  • Dewey Decimal Code 652.3

Media reviews

Citations

  • Library Journal, 02/15/2007, Page 135
  • New York Times, 05/06/2007, Page 26

About the author

Darren Wershler-Henry is an Assistant Professor in the Communication Studies department at Wilfrid Laurier University as well as a writer, critic, and the former senior editor of Coach House Books. He is also the author of many books, including NICHOLODEON: a book of lowerglyphs and the tapeworm foundry.

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