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Hermes Rocket

Hermes Rocket, 1952

Typewriters can be useful. Specifically: lightweight, portable typewriters such as the Hermes Rocket provide a convenient, reliable alternative to computers. Type and file.

They may also ship with unique baggage:

The man who owned this typewriter was a US Air Force officer and engineer, who was principal designer of the SR-71 spy plane engines. Threaded up around the platen of this machine when I received it was a seemingly blank sheet of paper that revealed, upon careful inspection with a bright desk lamp, the imprint of some official military correspondence.

Update, 2019:

Sold the old (1952) model, and bought a slightly newer (1955) model. It’s in better condition.

Hermes Rocket, 1955