Every typewriter was sold with an instruction manual, usually richly illutrated with drawings explaining the different functions and part names of the machine.

But instruction manuals were often discarded or misplaced once the functions of the machine were understood. That means that instruction manuals for early typewriters are in fact more rare than the machines themselves.

The drawings of the mechanisms of typewriters in the manuals, and the explanation of their use are of great use for repair jobs and restorations.

Click any of the thumbnails on the right to see a slideshow of different pages from instruction manuals of the Hammond 1, the Folding Corona, the Chicago, the Smith Premier, the Oliver and the Remington. (Click the large image to stop the slideshow.)