Typewriter, I Bid You Adieu...

Vive la Resistance!

A few months ago, I read an article which stated that the last typewriter factory in the world is closing its doors after selling less than a thousand units last year. This should come as no surprise since typewriters have become, for me, a decoration; however, I feel a sense of grief.

The end of typewriters is further proof that the digital age is in full swing - once popular bookstores are closing left and right and e-readers are replacing hardcovers and paperbacks. Though I'm resisting the change, many are not. For me, there's something so special about holding a book, smelling its smell, feeling the pages, evaluating the cover art, and scrutinizing the chosen font. Holding books is what I've done since childhood and what I hope to do in old age as well. I can't ever see myself cradling an electronic book in my hands as I read bedtime stories to my would-be children. I can't imagine removing the books from my home as the overflowing bookshelves are an homage to the things I've read and want to read, what I've learned and what I will learn. They are staying.

It seems like we're not too far from the world described in Fahrenheit 451 and that is alarming. Some may say that I'm overreacting and that digitizing is only making various media all the more accessible, but I disagree. Why the change? Was carrying a book or two around that much of a hassle? Does this come down to "going green?" I'm not sure, but I'm surely not happy about it.