Paige Compositor

In the late nineteenth century, the Paige Compositor was created to replace the human typesetter of a printing press with a mechanical arm. Unfortunately, the machine was not nearly as precise as it should have been and never turned a profit because of its continual need for adjustment based upon trial and error.Kirk, Connie Ann. Mark Twain, a Biography. Connecticut: Greenwood Printing, 2004. PS1331.K57.]

The Paige typesetting machine is notable for the $300,000 (equivalent to almost 7 million 2007 dollars) that Samuel Clemens (also known as Mark Twain) invested in the failed endeavor. Clemens, a former printer, invested not only the bulk of his book profits but also a large portion of the inheritance of Livy Clemens, his wife. Many pointfact|date=September 2008 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.

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* [http://www.eric.ed.gov:80/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED265544&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED265544 Page at ERIC]