I did not expect to jump on the Hermes typewriter bandwagon.

Since Tom Hanks declared his love for the Hermes, demand has been high and the prices higher. I was just fine without one.

But deals can be found and when a 1970 Hermes 3000 popped up locally on Facebook Marketplace, I was intrigued. It looked to be in great shape—margin ribbon indicators still sprung, platen knobs both there and uncracked. Surprisingly it had been listed for five days already and now the price was discounted.

I messaged. I went, cash in hand, mask on face, and it was a beauty, scarcely a scratch on its minty green paint. Home it came.

The price was so reasonable—two bags of Trader Joe’s groceries, my variable for most measurements of dollars—that I sprung for a re-covered platen and a tune up over at Cambridge Typewriter.

It is now one of my top three go-to machines and types as good as new. It’s out, ready to use almost daily, or on a nearby shelf in the studio, and I’m surprised just how much I like this unlooked for Swiss machine.

There is a nostalgia factor. It takes me right back to the feel of the keys on an electric typewriter I used as a teenager in the early 80s for Dorothea Brande’s version of Morning Pages.

For the life of us, neither my mother nor I can remember what model that office caste-off typewriter was (or indeed what happened to it), but the chunky-keyed, smooth as heck Hermes whisks me away to early morning writing sessions at my childhood desk in Norwich, England, and I am smitten.

I love that the Hermes was stumbled upon as a moment of respite from the chaos of Covid. The surprise, unasked for was all the more pleasant. With that, and some recent repairs and tweaks to already beloved machines, I have a sense that my typewriter collection is full. (Well, you know. For now.)

Anyway, it’s more than time to simply write.

Second model Hermes 3000, Pre-Cleaning

I know. It looked pretty clean already. It was mostly filled with eraser dust, a bit stiff at the inner joints, and the bell didn’t catch.

[Click any image to see full screen]

I love that the Hermes has an in-between ribbon setting. Yellow puts you in the middle. An all-black ribbon on a Hermes gives you an economical three positions for typing, not two.

The margin indicator is a physical ribbon (obviously not to be confused with the inked ribbon used for typing), visible inside the bar that keeps down the paper (the paper bail). The ribbon is held by a tiny clip and pulled tight by a spring. It then threads crisscross behind the machine like a game of cat’s cradle, and in at the other end of the paper bail for the opposite margin setting. It’s unusual to place the margin indicater in front of your writing but was marketed by Hermes as an asset.

Should you try a Hermes, be careful. Setting the margins will boggle your mind and you’ll likely lock up the machine altogether before you get the hang of it. This video from Typewriter Minutes will set you straight on the details.

I’m glad the thing was still attached after 50 years. Also, the poor Hermes was fitted not with a full-sized typewriter ribbon but a tiny spool meant for a calculator. Behind, is the metal, snap on lid with handy metal paper holder.

After: Hermes 3000, clean and ready for action

Smooth, soft rubber on the re-covered platen.

An understandable ding or two to the paintwork, mostly from the metal case lid.

Under the hood: no fancy font but just right for me.

The curve of keys has been likened to a Swiss ski jump.

A Place on the Studio Bookcase

It’s getting crowded in here. Completely clearing off shelves and reimagining the space is a therapeutic start to the school vacation. During the school year my studio doubles as schoolroom for my youngest daughter, though she does a lot of work at her own desk. (This was my 22nd year homeschooling our six kids; with four graduated, just a few years left!) We meet here every morning to read together and talk about the day, and the shelves that support our activities are now set up for the summer.

Also here: I set my intentions for the creative year ahead, put away resources that are on pause, the hopefuls that didn’t make the ‘to-do’ cut. What remains: current sketchbooks, nature and art books to read this year, and the most used analog tools for sketching, map making, letter writing.

And in the midst, the Hermes 3000.

Sam Shepard and his Hermes 3000

A clip from the feature length documentary, California Typewriter. The careless fling of the return lever by Shepard was definitely in the back of my mind as I drove off to retrieve my Hermes.