London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Tom Hanks hails Edinburgh bookseller ‘hero’ for his dedication to typewriters

Tom Hanks hails Edinburgh bookseller ‘hero’ for his dedication to typewriters

Hollywood actor thanks Scotland’s only typewriter mechanic for ‘keeping the machines alive’ in ‘gorgeous letter’
An Edinburgh bookseller and Scotland’s only typewriter mechanic has been hailed a hero by Tom Hanks for his dedication to the machines.

In the summer Tom Hodges, who runs Typewronger Books in Edinburgh, sent a letter to the actor to let him know of his shop and the typewriter exhibition currently running at the National Museum of Scotland.

In his letter Hodges explained all about his life including how he became a typewriter mechanic and “geek” while living at the famous Paris bookshop Shakespeare and Company. He also included an origami dragon that he had made.

To his surprise he received a typed reply from the You’ve Got Mail star, who himself has a collection of 120 typewriters and loves to write using one.

Hodges told the Guardian: “I receive letters from people all the time and they are all precious to me but it is not every day you receive one from a Hollywood legend and they call you their hero. I love all his films but I also love the fact he is such a fan of typewriters.

“It is a gorgeous letter and I am made up about it. It’s all been a bit surreal. It will be framed and have pride of place in the bookshop.”

Hanks wrote his reply on the set of the Baz Luhrmann-directed Elvis biopic in which Hanks will play the singer’s notorious manager, Colonel Tom Parker. The letter even had a reproduction Colonel Parker letterhead.

In Hanks’s missive, which endearingly has a number of typos, the actor commended Hodges for “battling against the giants to sell the best of books – and keep typewriters alive”.

He also suggested he may well drop in on Typewronger Books if he is ever in Leith.

Hodges, 35, who typed his letter to Hanks on his grandfather’s old Remington Noiseless typewriter, said he is a typewriter and independent bookshop “evangelist”.

In Typewronger Books – inspired by Hodges’s skill at making “right” defective typewriters – there is a typewriter for people to come in and use and write a letter or even the beginning of their novel.

Hodges is keen to move away from the “obsession with perfection” that has come with the advent of computers and cutting and pasting.

As for the charm of the machines, the bookseller and typewriter mechanic who has more than 100 of his own machines concluded: “I love playing with the mechanisms, but for me it is the sound and the sensation of hitting the keys of a typewriter that is magical.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×