SOTTSASS, Ettore & KING, Perry A. Valentine.

(Ivrea, Italy): Olivetti, 1969. First edition. Portable typewriter with original red carrying case. 12 × 35 × 35 cm. Red ABS plastic, metal and rubber. Designed by Ettore Sottsass with Perry A. King. One of the most celebrated designs of the late 1960s, the Valentine was conceived as a portable, inexpensive alternative to the conventional office typewriter, intended to be used anywhere rather than being tied to the office. Sottsass’s original concept was deliberately stripped down: he proposed eliminating lowercase letters and the end-of-line bell, and using inexpensive plastic to keep the machine affordable. Olivetti rejected these radical simplifications, retaining the conventional features and replacing the proposed cheap plastic with more expensive red ABS plastic, resulting in a machine that was costlier than Sottsass had intended and it sold less successfully than expected. Despite this, the vivid red casing, integrated carrying case and playful, Pop-inspired design transformed the typewriter from a piece of office equipment into an expressive personal object and established the Valentine as an icon of Italian design. This a very good example with original case.