"With the merger of three dynamic forces, a great worldwide typewriter industry developed. First was the invention of a practical typewriter product that was faster, easier, and better than all previous forms of writing. Few will argue with the fact that the Sholes and Gidden Typewriter with its universal “QWERTY” keyboard was that product. It was not the first typewriter but it was unquestionably the typewriter that changed the way people and organizations would communicate for the next one hundred plus years. The second force was a powerful international company with the manufacturing and engineering know how that could transform the primitive Sholes & Glidden typewriter into a marketable product; a company with worldwide distribution channels and the financial strength that was needed to guide this product through its perilous beginning. That company was a fifty eight year old successful gun manufacture, E. Remington & Sons. Finally, the third force, and probably the most dynamic of all, was women. Previous to the introduction of the typewriter, women were primarily involved in such occupations as schoolteachers, dress designers, seamstresses, and factory workers. Women were well-suited to the typewriter and skillfully mastered its operation. They would eventually increase speed and efficiency to the point unimagined by typewriter designers.
This book will attempt to track these three dynamic forces and the wonderful office revolution they inspired. There were hundreds of typewriter manufacturers and thousands of products that surfaced during this period. The author will share some of these national treasures with the reader, as well as attempt to provide dates of manufacture, patent numbers, and inventor information, where available.
Also included are estimates as to availability and value. The value is based, in some cases, on the price paid by the author for these artifacts and also on prices realized at auctions, private sales, and other antique marketplaces. The reader should be aware, however, that while price is based in some cases on availability, it is always based on condition. The cost of restoring an old typewriter by a qualified specialist can often dwarf the cost of the machine. Cost is finally based on how badly the seller wants to sell and how badly the buyer wants to buy."