When I frequented the former Schrift- en schrijfmachinemuseum in Tilburg in the early 1970s, I wrote a little booklet about ‘The Typewriter in the Netherlands’. It was the start of a lot of publications and other activities around historical typewriters.
KWBL
In 1982 I launched KWBL, Kwartaalblad voor de schrijfmachine-verzamelaar, which was an internationally orientated magazine from the start. It dealt especially with research. Later appendices appeared: Dutch Q in 1986 and KWBL-deutsch in 1991. The magazine ended with the issues 8.3 and 8.4, the first digital typewriter magazines ever.
For KWBL I initiated several collectors meetings in the Netherlands and Belgium.
TPC/PT
Another periodical appeared: TPC, Typewriter Patent Club, a magazine about typewriter patents, which was distributed from 1990 until 1992. Between 2009 and 2019 I have been editing a digital newspaper, The Paradise Tribune, only for Dutch speaking collectors. 100 issues appeared.
For these and other magazines I wrote a lot of articles, many of which can be viewed on this website under the heading ‘publications’.
Scryption
In 1988 I created Scryption, a museum for written communication in Tilburg, Netherlands. Around this time I was called to the board of that museum, a position that I occupied until 1993.
IRMHS
In 2006 I was one of the co-founders of the International Rasmus Malling-Hansen Society, located in Denmark.
For that Society I held a lecture titled ‘Networks around Malling-Hansen’ at their bi-annual meeting in Cologne in 2012. It was the starting point for a current effort I’m writing about: the electrified Malling Hansen Writing Ball.
IFHB
I presided the Reform-commission for the International Forum of the Historical Office (IFHB), held in Germany, during 2011 and 2012.
In the years 2011 and 2012 I started the Meyer/Martin project, a research project around Johannes Meyer. Meyer was editor of typewriter related material during the Interbellum, and also wrote the authoritative ‘The Typewriter and its Historical Development’. This resulted in a book ‘Meyer/Martin, the Work of a Good Man’. Together with that publication an exhibition about Meyer was held in Pappenheim, and an exhibition catalogue was published.
At the same time I designed a monument for Johannes Meyer in Pappenheim, where he lived since 1922.
Typosphere
In 2014 worldwide discussion-rounds were started around the so-called Typosphere, the modern way of dealing with historical typewriters.
Typewriters Paradise
In October 2024, all past efforts came together and TP came online. This website is regularly updated with new material.
links:
The Meyer memorial stone in Pappenheim, Germany