JF Ptak Science Books Quick Post
This is a small 1.5" ad that appeared in a premier issue of Scientific American, June 11, 1909. It is tiny and attractive, a sunburst design for a Sun typewriter, the text claiming that it wasn't sold door-to-door but via paper advertising to save costs in production and delivery, offering it for what was then a discounted price of $40. That 40 bucks is equal to about $1000 now according to the inflation calculator at the Bureau of Labor Statistics site--better though perhaps to think of it in terms of monthly/yearly income: laborers earned about $300-$600 a year in 1910, whereas an engineer or accountant would make between $2000 and $5000 a year; that would make the machine somewhat expensive at about a week's salary or less, but affordable.
The address says to apply at 317 Broadway--the building is still there and a fine structure it is; presently the address is broken up on the ground floor and shared by a booze shop and pizza place, sandwiched by a 7-Eleven and a McDonald.
(I say "premier" issue of the SA because the cover is dedicated to the Wright Brothers, the first such honor paid them by the magazine in over five years of mounting successes following their huge accomplishment at Kill Devil in December 1903. A fine acknowledging article appeared in 1908, but there's precious little in the way of support to the brothers in the magazine between 1904 and 1908. This issue ended that drought.)
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