The Chinese Typewriter
A History
About the Book
The Chinese Typewriter is an untold story of the tools that millions of people use every day. Winner of the John King Fairbank Prize in East Asian History, this book traces the fascinating history of the Chinese typewriter, an "impossible" machine that was invented, refined, and ultimately replaced by the computer.
From the late nineteenth century to the digital age, Mullaney reveals how Chinese typewriters shaped modern information technology and asks what we lose when we make writing systems conform to machines rather than the other way around.
Drawing on archival research across three continents and featuring over 100 original illustrations, this is the definitive account of a technology that changed the way billions of people communicate.
Praise for The Chinese Typewriter
“A tour de force. Mullaney has given us a masterwork on the history of writing, information, and technology.”
“Brilliant and deeply researched. This book fundamentally changes how we understand the relationship between language and machines.”
