Typewriter Talk / Unusual Underwood No. 5

**Posted by Fleetwing** 20-3-2017 13:33:21

Yes, the caesura is the vertical double line. I was wondering about the horizontal double line (which is shorter, I notice), like an underscoring.

**Posted by Uwe** 20-3-2017 14:06:44

typeset wrote:
Is it possible this was a custom ordered keyboard?

Custom ordered in terms of it not being a typical "in stock" keyboard, perhaps, but you have to remember that most of the big manufacturers had hundreds of special characters available for special orders. And there were typeface manufacturers that had 'after-market' catalogues of special type as well. In other words, I don't think this is a one-off machine, but it certainly is not a very common one! For all we know there were many English departments at schools and universities ordering these things, and relatively few have survived - or surfaced. No doubt it's a great find, which is one of the things that makes this forum so much fun for me.

**Posted by SoucekFan** 20-3-2017 15:35:10

Fleetwing wrote:
Yes, the caesura is the vertical double line. I was wondering about the horizontal double line (which is shorter, I notice), like an underscoring.

Sorry, I read your question wrong. I couldn't find anything definite about the double horizontal line; only a book reference where it is being used to mark stress in Old English verse, but I am not sure if this was the modern author using it as a device for his explanation, or if this was the old usage of the symbol. It was a chapter on Sieversian scansion--I have no idea what that is.

**Posted by Fleetwing** 20-3-2017 15:57:22

Wow, if you did know, I would be impressed! Actually, recently I saw on Tom Furrier's blog some pictures of a typewriter with an Old English keyboard -- most unusual. Can't be many of those out there now, if ever!