author

Alvin Garfield Swank

b. 1874

Best known for co-authoring a practical 1924 manual on the Linotype machine, this early technical writer helped explain the mechanics behind one of the key technologies of modern printing. His surviving published work points to deep hands-on knowledge of typesetting equipment and its upkeep.

1 Audiobook

Linotype mechanism

Linotype mechanism

by Raymond Means, Alvin Garfield Swank

About the author

Little biographical information about this author could be confirmed from readily available reliable sources, but Project Gutenberg identifies him as Alvin Garfield Swank, born in 1874, and credits him as co-author of Linotype mechanism with Raymond Means.

Originally published in the United States in 1924, Linotype mechanism is a detailed instructional guide for students, operators, and owners of the Linotype machine. The book focuses on how the machine worked in practice, from its mechanical parts to adjustment and maintenance, suggesting that its author wrote from direct technical experience rather than from a purely academic background.

Although many personal details remain unclear, his connection to this manual places him within the world of early twentieth-century printing technology, when Linotype machines were central to newspaper and book production.