The RoyTab is part of that new line of Royal portable typewriters (as well as standard machines) which were designed by Laird Fortune Covey (born April 25, 1917, Hobster, New Jersey, the son of artist Arthur St Claire Covey), starting in 1957. These were led by the new-look Royalite (my favourite is the rose-decorated one on Alan Seaver's website, see below) and included the Arrow, the Signet, the Challenge and the Parade, among others. Alan accurately refers to these as "squashed Futuras" - the Futura was also designed by Covey.
My post on Covey and his designs is at http://oztypewriter.blogspot.com/2011/06/on-this-day-in-typewriter-history-xxxvi.html
While the newer styling was created in the US, the machines were made by Royal McBee Nederland N.V. in Leiden in Holland. Royal had opened its new Dutch factory in 1953 and the following year announced plans to merge with McBee, a then leading manufacturer of accounting and statistical machines and supplies.
Royal McBee portables continued to be produced right up until the time Litton Industries took over Royal in March 1965.
A proper typewriter case was reintroduced with the new Covey designs
I really love these posts about the comprehensive histories of typewriters, complete with typecasts from today and pictures of yesteryear. Just makes my day whenever one of these posts shows up on my blogroll. You can't beat THIS!
ReplyDeleteVery nice machine.
ReplyDeleteThank you for another very interesting and informative post.
Superb article. I've just bought a Royal Roytab typewriter and wondered whether you know how I could get hold of the original instruction manual.
ReplyDelete