* No, not an Underwood Portable and not THIS particular machine, but in Kerouac's estate was a Hermes 3000 just like this, along with a repair bill. It had been dropped. It fetched $22,500 in 2010.
From the Christies auction site:
"KEROUAC'S LAST TYPEWRITER, which he used from 1966 until his death in
1969. He announces its arrival in a 29 August 1966 letter to his agent,
Sterling Lord: "How do you like my new typewriter?" The new machine "was
necessary," he explains, "as the old one broke in two, but, and that's
what broke my budget, and now it'll be taxes." Lord received many
letters from this machine about Kerouac's money problems: "Where are the
ROAD royalties to 6/30/66," he asks on 18 January 1967, "and same
royalties (6/30/66) for SUR... Great time of stress. Need money to
fence-in magnificent part wooded yard." He also hoped to build a study
"where I'll be writing VANITY OF DULUOZ in month of March after Greek
Orthodox Church wedding in February" (to Stella Sampas). Vanity was published in 1968. It would be the last novel published in his lifetime. His novella Pic
would appear in 1971. This typewriter had to make a visit to the
repairman in January 1969. The repairman's receipt for $22.83 (which
survives in the Kerouac Papers), diagnoses the problem as "Dropped." The
Kerouac Papers also contain the Hermes operating manual for this
typewriter."
Congratulations on finding a Hermes 3000! Of coruse, the Swiss Typosphere stumbles across these all the time, but I still think it is an outstanding machine.
ReplyDeleteAbout the 4-colour-ribbon selector: I know that it was advertised as making the machine more oeconomical - you first use a single-colour ribbon on blue, then on red, finally on yellow. I am not sure if tri-coloured ribbons existed.
Well, I like this new typewriter of yours A LOT. I would love to have one with the "@" sign. Despite Switzerland being flooded with Hermes machines, English language keyboards are - naturally - scarce in our waters.
ReplyDeleteThe four colour ribbon selector is indeed meant to use the ribbon to its maximum. Both for one and two colour ribbons, I believe. This way, the ribbon gets used on four different heights. Very good thinking. Very rational. Very Swiss. A bit too economical for me. I like to waste ribbons in a catholic way, i.e. fully, but not necessarily rationally.
I have 2 of these. They are wonderful to use. The sleek body and precision engineering make these some of the best I've used. From my experience the round ones are nicer to use than the square ones. Both are sleek and everything is just as exacting as can be with both body styles. I plan to take full 3/4 advantage of the 4 position ribbon selector. I have full color ribbons in mine and that means 33% more use out of a full color ribbon than if the same ribbon was on a different machine. I doubt I will ever use position 4, the one for mimeograph stencils.
ReplyDeleteOne of mine had a rather hard platen and I was able to soften it with brake fluid. Tom Furrier has a step by step post on his blog on how to remove and reinstall the platen.
Congratulations on your Hermes 3000!
ReplyDelete(sorry, I forgot that in my original reply)
This might sound like a silly question - but what is the case like on this machine?
ReplyDeleteI love my Hermes. They're great machines. But only my deluxe model has the ! on a key.
Scott, the case is sheet metal just like Georg's here....only slightly nicer, of course.
DeleteThat's a fine machine you have there. Glad to see you're on the "butter" side of the touch debate.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree- butter!
ReplyDeleteHermes 3000 is worth a spot in any collection, congratulations!
Definitely my favorite portable! Congrats on finally landing one.
ReplyDeleteThanks Daniel - I thought of you when I saw it in the flesh. Worth holding out for one in good condition after all :-)
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