Herb Caen charmingly called his typewriter the Loyal Royal. It was a running mention in many of his columns. For the longest time I thought the Royal in question was this FP at the San Francisco Public Library:
But in a news article from the San Francisco Appeal (an on-line newspaper) it appears if Herb Caen's typewriter will go up for auction to fund a SF Police summer program. Obviously, a worthy cause but it brings up some serious questions about Caen's typewriter provenance.
This is a picture of Caen; the baldness, the smile. It's him alright, but the typewriter on which he jauntily leans is not an FP. It's an HH. Strange, no? It would be perfectly reasonable for a columnist to have several typewriters and they both my be Royals, but if I was the SF Library or the soon-to-be auction winner, I would love to know which one was more loyal; the FP or the HH.
Interesting. I wonder if any typescripts can be found to authenticate?
ReplyDeleteI reckon the HH was a prop. But that said... The FP looks way too nice to have been a 'loyal royal'.
ReplyDeleteI hear the FP sold for over $20K!
ReplyDeleteThat is a very large sum of money!
DeleteThe FP pictured above is in the lobby at the Chronicle, not at the main library. I've seen both of them in the flesh.
ReplyDeleteI dug up a little more info about Herb Caen's typers: http://thecynthiaproject.com/2014/01/07/will-the-real-herb-caen-typewriter-please-stand-up/