Olivetti’s Lettera 32, designed by Marcello Nizzoli for Olivetti in 1963, was a popular portable, weighing in a 5.9 kg. Of the modern typewriter makers, I don’t think anyone touches Olivetti’s classy designs.
[image by Caroline Area Man]
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9 Comments
I fully agree. My father used one of these daily through his 40-year career, and now I have it; the machine feels like it’s just been warmed up for me! He had the Lettera customized with a few extra math-symbol keys. This model is the most portable typewriter I’ve ever seen.
http://laviegraphite.blogspot.com/2009/01/lettera.html
I just purchased this typewriter at a garage sale for $2.50. Basically for my eight year old daughter to “experiment” with. She thinks it’s great, but the ribbon doesn’t work anymore and I don’t know what type of ribbon I need to purchase for this typewriter. Could you help?
Dear Jamie,
The Lettera 32 takes a standard-width ribbon- but do save your spools, as they are uniquely Olivetti’s gauge (allowing you to use Royal or Smith Corona ribbons, wound around the Olivetti spools).
My source for all types of typewriter ribbons is Cambridge Typewriter, in Boston. (See: http://www.cambridgetypewriter.com), you can order by phone. Extremely gracious folks there!
Your daughter might like the photos here:
http://laviegraphite.blogspot.com/2009/01/lettera.html
Thanks for your help. Do you by chance happen to know if there is anywhere to get the original instruction manual for such a typewriter?
I suppose you can ask, when you call Cambridge Typewriter.
Also, there is a Yahoo group called “Portable Typewriter Forum,” and you can certainly pose the question to this large and very informative group.
The machine itself seems self-explanatory. Even the margin settings are right out there (behind the platen roller, on the top). It’s a very easy machine to use. My Dad gave me the one I have- and I never saw a manual for it.
Jamie -
The “instruction book” for the Lettera 32 is a laminated 6-1/4 x 6-1/4 card, with a large illustration on each side. I could scan it and email if you would like, although it is not a complicated machine to use.
Could you post it here? I am waiting for my letter 32 to come in the mail and would love to see it. Thanks.
Reading about Cormac McCarthy’s being sold, I got out my Lettera 32. My mother left it to me when she died in 1968.
The ribbon-reversing mechanism no longer works, for some reason, but this is my Rosebud.
I became a journalist, and I think this was because I was the only person at college who could use a keyboard.
Nowadays, every kid can type, even touch-type a lot of them. But that’s a new thing.
Back in the days, if you didn’t have a keyboard of your own, you sat with your tongue out pressing five keys a minute.
i’m cleaning out my cupboards and found my Olivetti Leterra 32 . i got it re-spooled and it’s working perfect. took it to work the other day to show off, the youngsters liked it a lot and the older people (like me) enjoyed it much. i advertised it on gumtree to sell but now i have 2nd thoughts, i’m gonna keep it. it is in perfect condition