Tom Hanks to publish first book, 'Uncommon Type,' in October

Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Hollywood star Tom Hanks will publish his first book in October.

The 60-year-old actor will release a collection of short stories, Uncommon Type: Some Stories, with Alfred A. Knopf publishers on Oct. 24, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Uncommon Type features 17 short stories that all revolve around typewriters. The stories follow such characters as a man immigrating to New York to flee civil war and a person who becomes an ESPN star after bowling a series of perfect games.

"In the two years of working on the stories, I made movies in New York, Berlin, Budapest, and Atlanta and wrote in all of them. I wrote in hotels during press tours. I wrote on vacation. I wrote on planes, at home, and in the office. When I could actually make a schedule, and keep to it, I wrote in the mornings from nine to one," Hanks said in a statement.

"I am thrilled by the narrative range on display in this collection, and by the humor and humanity Tom brings to his work. This is an accomplished debut," Alfred A. Knopf editor-in-chief Sonny Mehta added.

Hanks, who collects typewriters, told Entertainment Weekly he wrote "notes and a few pages" on a typewriter but used a laptop for the "heavy duty work." He said the collection was inspired by small moments and big questions.

"The smallest, most distant of memories as well as those haunting questions about why things come about. What would you see at the 1939 World's Fair that would change your life? I remember a ride in a small plane when I was 7 years old -- why was it confusing?" the actor shared.

Hanks will next star in a big-screen adaptation of the Dave Eggers novel The Circle. The movie co-stars Emma Watson and John Boyega, and opens in theaters Apr. 28.