In 1949 Olympia Werke of West Germany introduced the world to the portable Schreibmaschine Mittelgroß, or SM typewriter. Over the next 15 years, new iterations of this machine would give us the SM8 and SM9, perhaps the world's most perfect writing machine.
The crown jewel in my collection is my 1965 Olympia SM8. Though not the oldest or most interesting to look at, it is my most consistently used machine. It is reliable and solid. In the same way the La Marzocco Linea built espresso in the Pacific Northwest- anyone who has used one knows- the SM8/9 is the writer's typewriter.
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| 1965 Olympia SM8 serial no. 2754697 |
I use my SM8 regularly. Every book I make gets some ink from this workhorse. I love the solid feel of the keys and the easy adjustments I can make to keep text aligned and uniform. Sometimes I wish I had an SM9, as if that were a better typewriter because it is the terminus of the line. The biggest differences between the 8 & 9 are touch control and a keyset tabulator beside the space bar (both on the SM9). The 9 has chrome on the carriage ends, but I prefer the matching frame color of the SM8.
The SM8 is perfect; and I will defend her honor against any Tom Hanks character who says otherwise. Any questions?
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