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Pulp Librarian Profile picture
@PulpLibrarian
Jun 24, 2020 • 9 tweets • 5 min read • Read on X
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Happy #NationalWritingDay everybody! Today I'm looking back at that essential item all writers need, love and occasionally bash their heads against: the typewriter!

What? You're still writing in longhand? Tsk... Image
All pulp authors love a typewriter! Here's Michael Avallone - "The fastest typewriter in the East" - on how to write well quickly... ImageImageImageImage
If you think you don't have time to write, remember this: Ray Bradbury began writing Farenheit 451 on a pay-by-the-hour rental typewriter in the UCLA library. Image
At his peak pulpwriter Orrie Hitt could write a book every two weeks, bashing them out on a Remington Royal typewriter with a carton of smokes and a bottle of Bourbon for sustinance. ImageImageImageImage
Gruselroman legend Helmut Rellergerd (aka John Sinclair) is still writing stories on his old Olympia typewriter to this day - sometimes one a week! ImageImage
Typewriter Repair Man! He's the hero we've been looking for...

Olivetti service advert, 1953. Image
The first novel written on a word processor was Bomber, published by Len Deighton in 1970. Deighton had an 91kg leased IBM MT72 carefully winched into his London home through an upstairs window.

It'll never catch on you know... Image
If you're not sure how to use a typewriter heres's a guide to the 1954 Olivetti Lettra 22.

Other typewriters are available... Image
And if you get bored writing... well you can always type a picture of Kojak'a head. Who loves ya baby!

Happy #NationalWritingDay everyone. Image

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More from @PulpLibrarian

Pulp Librarian Profile picture
Jan 23
In the shadowy corners of the shortwave spectrum lurk the Numbers Stations: strange radio broadcasts of mysterious blocks of numbers in creepy monotone voices!

It's actually an old form of spycraft which is still in use today. Let's take a listen...
A Numbers Station is a type of one-way voice link for sending information to spies in foreign countries. Operating on Short Wave radio bands they transmit a secret code of spoken numbers.

Use of Numbers Stations peaked during the Cold War, but some are still operating today. Image
Numbers Stations are operated by various national intelligence agencies. At set times on a pre-arranged frequency a musical tone is played, followed by a speech synthesised voice reading out blocks of numbers. To most listeners it sounds both creepy and meaningless. Image
Read 12 tweets
Pulp Librarian Profile picture
Jan 17
Today in pulp I revisit a mystery of the recent past: did ‘John Titor’ really travel back in time from 2038 to the year 2000 to warn us about an apocalyptic future? And why was he so keen on getting his hands on a 1975 IBM 5100 computer?

Let’s find out...
In 1998, US radio talk-show host Art Bell read out a fax from a man claiming to be from the future. Two years later the same man, calling himself Time_Traveler_0, left similar messages on the Time Travel Instutute’s internet forum.

They told a strange tale… Image
“Greetings. I am a time traveler from the year 2036. I am on my way home after getting an IBM 5100 computer system from the year 1975.”

For the next two years Time_Traveler_0, now calling himself John Titor, would leave many similar messages on internet forums. Image
Read 13 tweets
Pulp Librarian Profile picture
Jan 14
You know what we haven't done for a while? Bad book covers! Let's fix that...

('bad' has many different meanings by the way!) Image
The Best of Walter M. Miller, Jr. Pocket Books, 1980. Cover by Mara McAfee.

"Best," mind you! Image
Those are some epic "who farted?" faces.

A Vision Of Beasts: The Second Kingdom, by Jack Lovejoy. Tor Books, 1984. Cover by Victoria Poyser. Image
Read 18 tweets
Pulp Librarian Profile picture
Jan 7
The Bawdyguard, by John Dexter. Nightstand Books, 1971. Image
'John Dexter' didn't actually exist. It was a house alias - along with J X Williams - for a range of writers knocking out cheesy sex pulp for Greenleaf publishing. At least 20% of each novel had to be sex scenes with the other 80% titillation, voyeurism or padding. Not much space for character arcs or a hero's journey...Image
Greenleaf initially specialized in sci-fi magazines, until they discovered sex was selling better. A number of writers were quietly supplying novels for both scenes. Robert Silverberg, Harlan Ellison and Donald E Westlake all provides pseudonymous sex novels for the publisher. Image
Read 7 tweets
Pulp Librarian Profile picture
Jan 6
Today is the birthday of legendary illustrator Gustave Doré. Let's take a look back at his work... Image
Gustave Doré was born in Strasbourg on 6 January 1832. Aged 15 he became an illustrator for the satirical paper Le Journal Pour Rire. Image
Doré worked on a number of early text comics in the 1850s, including Trois Artistes Incompris et Mécontents and L'Histoire de la Sainte Russie. Image
Image
Read 15 tweets
Pulp Librarian Profile picture
Jan 5
Was Nancy Drew an '80s fashion icon?

Let's look in the files and find out... Image
Case 32: High Marks For Malice (1989). Nordic knits always work and they're great for detectives. Pastels are very flattering but you'll need a good lint roller if it's a long case you're investigating. This is a clear fashion win. Image
Case 51: A Model Crime (1990). Gold is a hard colour to pull off, but the details are on point here: single button and shoulder pads make it a power look and Nancy has sensibly avoided the '90s waitcoat trend. Another win. Image
Read 12 tweets

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