Paige Compositor

The Paige Compositor

The Paige Compositor was an invention developed by James W. Paige (1842–1917) between 1872 and 1888. It was designed to replace the human typesetter of a lead type-composed printing form with a mechanical arm.^[1][2] However, the machine was not nearly as precise as it should have been and never turned a profit because of its complexity and continual need for adjustment based upon trial and error.^[3][4]

The Paige typesetting machine is notable for substantial investment that prominent writer Mark Twain made into the failed endeavor: $300,000 ($5,935,833 today). Twain, a former printer, invested not only the bulk of his book profits but also a large portion of the inheritance of Olivia Clemens, his wife.^[4] Many point to his over-investment in the Paige typesetting machine and other inventions as the cause of not only his family's financial decline but also the decline of his wit and humor.^[5]

Only two machines were built. One was donated by Cornell University for a scrap metal drive during World War II. The other machine survives and is displayed at the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut.^[6]

References

1. Lundin, Leigh (2011-05-22). "Tom Sawyer and the Diabolus Ex Machina". Redding: Criminal Brief.
2. Lienhard, John (2000). "The Paige Compositor". Engines of Our Ingenuity. Houston: University of Houston (1372). ISBN 978-0-19-516731-3. Archived from the original on 1998.
3. Lienhard, John (1988). "The Paige Compositor". Engines of Our Ingenuity. Houston: University of Houston (0050). ISBN 978-0-19-513583-1. Archived from the original on 1997.
4. Kirk, Connie Ann. Mark Twain, a Biography. Connecticut: Greenwood Printing, 2004. PS1331.K57.
5. "Mark Twain, a Life" Ron Powers
6. "Our Collection". Mark Twain House and Museum. Retrieved 28 July 2013.

External links

• Page at ERIC
• U.S. Patent 157,694 Precursor by Paige (patent application filed 1872)
• U.S. Patent 547,859 Paige Compositor patent (application filed 1882)