Two months before David Silverman’s32nd birthday, hevisited the Charles Schwab branch in the basement of the World Trade Center to wire his father’s life savingstowards the purchase of the Clarinda Typesetting company in Clarinda, Iowa. Typo tells the true story of the Clarinda company’s last rise and fall and with it one entrepreneur’s story of what it means to take on, run, and ultimately lose an entire life’s work. This book is an American dream run aground, told with humordespite moments of tragedy. The story reveals the impact of losing part of an entire industry and answers questions abouthow thatimpacts American business. The reader sees in Clarinda’s fate the potential peril faced by every company, and the lessons learned are applicable to anyone who wants torun his or her own business, succeed in a large corporation, and notbe stranded by the reality of shifting markets, outsourcing, and, ultimately, capitalism itself.