My Scrapbook
Raymond Chandler’s Typewriter
Is this the coolest thing ever or what?
Long-time friend of the site, Mark Coggins, author of the acclaimed August Riordan private eye series, has scored a typewriter at an estate sale, conducted by auction house Doyle New York.
And not just any typewriter.
It’s the the Olivetti Studio 44 that novelist Raymond Chandler used from somewhere in 1955 until his death in 1959. Which means that it was the machine on which he wrote his last published novel, Playback (1958), and the final Philip Marlowe short story, titled variously, “Marlowe Takes On the Syndicate”, “Wrong Pigeon”, “Philip Marlowe’s Last Case” or “The Pencil” (1959). You know, the one where Marlowe slags Montreal as “almost as crooked” as Los Angeles. (Ray, you had no idea!)
Chandler also typed out the first tentative chapter of Poodle Springs on it — a novel that was finally completed by Robert B. Parker in 1989.
Mark had the winning bid in December 2024, and has since had the machine repaired and refurbished, and plans to use it for his own work, and in honour of his new dingus, the first out is “Mockingbird,” a short story featuring none other than Dashiell Hammett‘s Sam Spade; a sequel of sorts to The Maltese Falcon.
On his blog, Mark also reveals some of the nifty detective work he did, tracking down the typewriter’s history and provenance, and giving us the reassuring (at least to me) fact that, according to Sybil Davis—who put the machine up for auction after receiving it from her mother, Jean Vounder-Davis (who worked as Chandler’s secretary in those last few years) — that Chandler was no touch typist. Nope, he favored the hunt and peck system, employing only his two index fingers.
For the full scoop, head on over to Mark’s site.
P.S. I’m jealous.
Mark. With typewriter.
FURTHER INVESTIGATION
- My Scrapbook
A Cornucopia of Tear Sheets, Illustrations, Photos, Scribbles & Other Crap That I Think is Cool. - The New Black Mask
A review and tribute by Mark Coggins - Mark Coggins
The official site for the author, done by computer whiz Mark himself, with plenty of interactive links, and some great photos. There are also several excerpts from the books. - “Mockingbird” (July/August 2025, electica.org)
An original short story by Mark Coggins, featuring Dashiell Hammett’s Sam Spade, and typed on Raymond Chandler’s Olivetti Studio 44.
Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.
