Humanity's hunt for calculating devices probably started with the use of small pebbles to keep track of numbers. The counting inventions progressed through the abacus, early mechanical calculators, and other ingenious devices culminating in today's computers. In this new book, Thomas Russo chronicles 600 years of caculating devices, providing valuable information for historians and collectors alike. Stretching from ancient times to the earliest computers, this book provides an insight into breadth and depth of human creativity and drive. With 500 color photographs, descriptive captions, and a guide to current values, this is an essential guide in a field that is finding ever more enthusiasts.

A fascinating and scholarly look at the machines that revolutionized office communication from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Nearly 700 color photographs display mechanical typewriters produced by Adler (TM), American (TM), Corona (TM), Grundka (TM), Hall (TM), Monarch (TM), Remington (TM), Royal (TM), Smith Corona (TM), and many others. An overview of the historical development of the typewriter includes patents and brief histories of the manufacturers. Additionally, a detailed bibliography, index, and current market values in the captions are also provided. Set designers, historians, and typewriter collectors will learn how technical developments changed the designs through the decades.