Iron Whim

Casts an amusing new light on the convoluted history of the first writing machines, re-examines important and unusual typewritten texts -- including the manuscript of ¿On the Road¿ and William S. Burroughs¿s ¿cut-ups¿ -- and recounts the exploits of a typewriting cockroach named Archy. Discusses typewriter-related rumors and anecdotes (the dying Henry James had become so accustomed to dictating his novels to a typist that he required the sound of a randomly operated typewriter to begin...
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Casts an amusing new light on the convoluted history of the first writing machines, re-examines important and unusual typewritten texts -- including the manuscript of ¿On the Road¿ and William S. Burroughs¿s ¿cut-ups¿ -- and recounts the exploits of a typewriting cockroach named Archy. Discusses typewriter-related rumors and anecdotes (the dying Henry James had become so accustomed to dictating his novels to a typist that he required the sound of a randomly operated typewriter to begin to compose). Reveals not only the history of and anecdotes about the machine, but also the fascinating way that, over the last two centuries when typewriting was writing, the tool actually shaped the creative process and regulated its users¿ behavior and thought processes.