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A Running Record of Findings from the Internet / August 4, 2026

Twilight of the Velocipede: Typesetting Races before the Age of Linotype

Before mechanical typesetting machines rendered them obsolete, hand compositors competed in speed contests that drew thousands of spectators and serious prize money — races fast enough to earn the era's champion the nickname "the Velocipede," and public enough that women compositors used them to fight for a place in the trade.

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By Alex Wright · Public Domain Review

The Chicago Contestants, from A Collation of Facts Related to Fast Typesetting (1887)
The Chicago Contestants, from A Collation of Facts Related to Fast Typesetting (1887)
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