Century of the typewriter.

I OWN THIS BOOK "CENTURY OF THE TYPEWRITER" BY WILFRED A. BEECHING.(A PERSONALLY SIGNED COPY)) WHICH IS A FIRST EDITION (1974) & PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY:- BAS PRINTERS LTD, WALLOP, HAMPSHIRE. IT IS AN AMBITIOUS AND COMPREHENSIVE WORK WHOSE CHAPTERS COVER - THE HISTORY OF THE TYPEWRITER - THE TYPEWRITER TODAY - THE HISTORY OF INDIVIDUAL TYPEWRITER MANUFACTURERS - ELECTRIC AND SPECIAL PURPOSE TYPEWRITERS & MACHINES THAT DIED. AN IMPORTANT FEATURE IS A COMPLETE ALPHABETICAL COMPENDIUM OF ALL KNOWN MAKES OF MACHINES, PAST AND PRESENT, SHOWING CHANGES OF NAME, DATES OF PRODUCTION AND MANUFACTURER'S NAMES. TAKEN IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE NUMEROUS TABLES OF REFERENCE, THE IMPOSING SELECTION OF OVER 1,000 ILLUSTRATIONS, AND THE LIVELY NARRATIVE HISTORY, IT IS DIFFICULT TO EXAGGERATE THE VALUE OF THIS BOOK. IN ITS TURN IT WILL BE OF INTEREST TO ANTIQUE DEALERS AND COLLECTORS AND TO MUSEUM AUTHORITIES, WHO WILL BE SUPRISED AT THE RARITY OF SOME MODELS (NOT ALL OF THEM ANCIENT) AND MAY WELL COME ACROSS UNSUSPECTED BARGAINS. (THE ABOVE DETAILS RELATE TO THE 1974 ERA). THE BOOK IS BOUND WITH HARD BACK COVERS AND AN ILLUSTRATED JACKET, THE SIZE IS APPROXIMATELY 11" x 9" (28cm x 22cm). I HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE AUTHOR OF THIS BOOK, WAS A BROTHER OF DR. RICHARD BEECHING, WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RE-SHAPING OF "BRITISH RAILWAYS" IN 1963. THIS REVIEW WAS WRITTEN BY W.A.BROOKS OF HAMPSHIRE. UK.