Agatha Christie's Dictaphone, typewriter, typescript copy of her final Poirot novel Curtain, and her exercise book containing draft notes on the plot of the novel. Agatha Christie's Dictaphone, typewriter, typescript copy of her final Poirot novel Curtain, and her exercise book containing draft notes on the plot of the novel. Item 1 of 6

I just realised the Antares was designed to sit inside the upside down lid, like a built in lap desk. As it sort of pivots on the two pegs in the back, you lift up the front of the machine like opening a lid and the top functions like a paper tray or drawer! :o

Patti Smith: 1960s/'70s Smith-Corona portable

As strange as it sounds today, German klein (“small” or portable) typewriters were among the most sought-after souvenirs for soldiers fighting in World War II. Think of it: Adjusted for inflation, top-of-the-line portable typewriters cost roughly the same as your MacBook Pro today, and their usable lives were measured not in months or years, but decades and generations. Consequently, thousands of Uranias, Gromas, Erikas, Rheinmetalls, Continentals, Olympias, and other high-quality, precision-made German machines were looted from Nazi military and government offices, businesses, and even from civilian homes, whether their owners were dead or alive. “War trophy” is of course a pleasant euphemism: It denotes a reward for heroism, bravery, and sacrifice, while simultaneously acknowledging that even the good guys steal, pillage, and destroy amid the haze of total war.