Tapping it out

Passing by the Vincents Shop the other day, I was stopped by the sight of this typewriter in the window, writes Brian Byrne.

I had one just like it back in the mid-70s. Indeed, my first writings, done in the old front bar of the Hideout on many nights after everyone had gone home, were tortuously picked out on one just like this.

And it was those early efforts that eventually pushed me out into the tricky and chancy world of journalism. But a world which has, and still does, given me extraordinary satisfaction and enjoyment.

Just as a piece of useless information, I reckon I've written over 11 million words since then. I wonder how many typewriter ribbons that would be if I hadn't moved through the number of writing machines that I have since?

Number of machines … now, that's going to take a little calculation too.