The Art of the Typewriter

Marvin and Ruth Sackner are typewriter art collectors based in Miami, Florida. Today the Sackner Archive of Visual and Concrete Poetry is the world’s largest collection of its kind, housing tens of thousands of pieces from hundreds of artists and writers from around the world. Their book, The Art of Typewriting (Thames and Hudson), is the first definitive overview of typewriter art in decades―with a unique algorithm giving each volume its own cover design. The beloved typewriter―its utilitarian beauty, the pleasing percussive action of striking its keys, the singularity of the impressed page―is enjoying a genuine renaissance across the creative industries. In this authoritative publication, the founders of the Sackner Archive of Visual and Concrete Poetry, the largest such collection in the world, apply their experience, mining the collection they have created over four decades to present examples produced by more than 200 of the world’s finest typewriter artists.

Richard Polt is the creator and webmaster of The Classic Typewriter Page and the blog Typewriter Revolution. For over twenty years, he has been pursuing his love of the typewriter as a collector, webmaster, blogger, magazine editor, repairman―and frequent typist. Polt teaches philosophy at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. What do thousands of kids, makers, poets, artists, steampunks, hipsters, activists, and musicians have in common? They love typewriters―the magical, mechanical contraptions that are enjoying a surprising second life in the 21st century, striking a blow for self-reliance, privacy, and coherence against dependency, surveillance, and disintegration. The Typewriter Revolution: A Typist's Companion for the 21st Century (Countryman Press) documents the movement and provides practical advice on how to choose a typewriter, how to care for it, and what to do with it―from National Novel Writing Month to letter-writing socials, from type-ins to typewritten blogs, from custom-painted typewriters to typewriter tattoos. It celebrates the unique quality of everything typewriter, fully-illustrated with vintage photographs, postcards, manuals, and more.

Marvin and Ruth Sackner are typewriter art collectors based in Miami, Florida. Today the Sackner Archive of Visual and Concrete Poetry is the world’s largest collection of its kind, housing tens of thousands of pieces from hundreds of artists and writers from around the world. Their book, The Art of Typewriting (Thames and Hudson), is the first definitive overview of typewriter art in decades―with a unique algorithm giving each volume its own cover design. The beloved typewriter―its utilitarian beauty, the pleasing percussive action of striking its keys, the singularity of the impressed page―is enjoying a genuine renaissance across the creative industries. In this authoritative publication, the founders of the Sackner Archive of Visual and Concrete Poetry, the largest such collection in the world, apply their experience, mining the collection they have created over four decades to present examples produced by more than 200 of the world’s finest typewriter artists.