The Bookhouse Boys Journal by Insight Editions

The Bookhouse Boys are one of my favorite things from the first two seasons of Twin Peaks. This secret society formed in the small Pacific Northwest town had been fighting the evil in the woods for decades. While the group was absent in both David Lynch’s 1992 feature film and third season – “The Return,” it didn’t stop Insight Editions from making a themed-journal complete with the iconic Bookhouse Boy logo. Let’s take a closer look at this unique souvenir you can use to keep track of your own investigations.

WHO ARE THE BOOKHOUSE BOYS IN TWIN PEAKS?

Thanks to a script written by Harley Peyton for Twin Peaks episode 1.003, we learn about Twin Peaks’ secret society from Sheriff Harry S. Truman. He shares details about their group with Agent Cooper over pie and coffee at the Double R Diner.

SHERIFF TRUMAN
“Twin Peaks is different. A long way from the world. You’ve noticed that. And that’s exactly the way we like it. But there’s a back end to that that’s kind of different too. Maybe that’s the price we pay for all the good things … There’s a sort of evil out there. Something very, very strange in these old woods. Call it what you want: a darkness, a presence. It takes many forms, but it’s been out there for as long as anyone can remember. And we’ve always been here to fight it … Men before us. Men before them. More after we’re gone.”

Peyton wrote the first draft of this script on September 26, 1989, with revisions made on October 3. Truman’s dialog appears almost as scripted except he mentions an evil in “the hills,” not woods. He also has additional dialogue after the sentence, “More after we’re gone.” Truman continues, “We protect our own. We have to.”

Interestingly, the script continues with action outside the Bookhouse where Truman tells Cooper that he’s been Sheriff for five years. Yet he’s been meeting with the Bookhouse Boys at “The Book House” for a much longer time.

It’s interesting that Insight Editions and Showtime featured this society in products, especially since Twin Peaks: The Return didn’t include them. The group was featured in the “Twin Peaks Access Guide to the Town” from the early 1990s and Mark Frost’s “Secret History of Twin Peaks” released on October 18, 2016.

WHO IS INSIGHT EDITIONS?

Insight Editions, a pop-culture publisher based in San Rafael, California was founded in 1994 by Raoul Goff as a book production and design company. In 2001, the company began publishing under its own name. Today, they are a bestselling publisher of books and collectibles that “push the boundaries of creativity, design, and production.” Through its licensed publishing program, they produce unique books and products such inspired by films and television shows I love. Their Dune products are exceptional and I adore the “Star Trek: Designing The Final Frontier” book.

THE BOOKHOUSE BOYS JOURNAL BY INSIGHT EDITIONS

Released on October 31, 2017, the Twin Peaks – The Bookhouse Boys ruled journal with pocket  contains 192 pages of archival paper. The ISBN for the hardbound journal is 978-1-68383-240-9 and the trim size is 5.25″ x 8.25″ x .7″.

Artwork found on the Insight Editions webpage for this journal closely matched the final product.

This is the front and back cover of the actual journal. A nylon ribbon was added to the outside to keep the journal closed. The Insight Editions product page described the journal as follows:

David Lynch’s cult TV show Twin Peaks has fascinated and haunted myriad fans for decades with a rich, mind-bending story and mysterious iconography that carry on through its 2017 revival on Showtime. This deluxe journal invites fans to experience anew the eerie and hypnotic charm of the town of Twin Peaks with stunning imagery inspired by the Bookhouse Boys, the local secret society sworn to fight against the evils that lie in the old woods.

With sturdy construction and sewn binding, this journal lies flat, and the 192 blank, acid-free pages of high-quality heavy stock paper take both pen and pencil nicely to invite a flow of inspiration. Includes a ribbon placeholder, elastic closure, and 8 x 4.5-inch back pocket containing a special memento from Twin Peaks: the late Laura Palmer’s yearbook portrait.

This was one of two officially licensed Twin Peaks products from Insight Editions with the other being a Twin Peaks Card Collection as described in this Twin Peaks Blog article.

This is how the journal appears without the nylon ribbon or the removable outside Twin Peaks label.

The Bookhouse Boys logo appears to match the logo that Sheriff Truman presents Special Agent Dale Cooper as he prepared to leave the town.

Unlike the onscreen counterpart seen in Twin Peaks episode 2.010, the logo on the journal cover is presented in green with gold foil.

THE BOOKHOUSE BOYS JOURNAL – OUTSIDE LABEL

There is a long rectangular label includes a red “Twin Peaks” logo against dreamy image of trees. These same trees are found on the main key artwork featuring Laura Palmer and Dale Cooper created for Twin Peaks: The Return. There is a small yellow triangle with the words, “Includes a special Laura Palmer memento”

The back of the label contains Showtime and “TP” logos, meaning this is an officially licensed product. There is also a brief description about the journal:

DAVID LYNCH’S CULT TV SERIES Twin Peaks has fascinated and haunted myriad fans for decades with a rich, mind-bending story and mysterious iconography. This deluxe journal invites fans to experience anew the eerie and hypnotic charm of the town of Twin Peaks with stunning imagery inspired by the Bookhouse Boys, the local secret society sworn to fight against the evils that lie in the old woods.

THE BOOKHOUSE BOYS JOURNAL – MEMBER PHOTOS

Opening the front cover of the journal, you will find a two-page spread of images of the Bookhouse Boys including Sheriff Harry S. Truman, Tommy “Hawk” Hill, Andy Brennan, Ed Hurley, James Hurley, and honorary Bookhouse Boy, Dale Cooper. These images are publicity shots presented as Polaroid images against a faux wooden table. There are coffee stains and a little bit of cherry pie remains on a napkin.

The actual image inside the  journal appears the same. I was hoping for a Joey Paulsen cameo – he doesn’t get enough credit in the show.

THE BOOKHOUSE BOYS JOURNAL – PROPERTY OF

Turn the page and you’ll find a “Property Of:” page that includes the Bookhouse Boy logo as seen in the series.

The actual journal has the “Property Of:” page facing the first of nearly 200 blank pages in the journal.

Speaking of those blank pages, this is how they appear throughout the journal. They are truly blank with no hidden illustrations buried between the pages.

THE BOOKHOUSE BOYS JOURNAL – COOPER AND TRUMAN

Opposite the final blank page, you will find another publicity image of Special Agent Dale Cooper and Sheriff Truman posting with a deer head. There is also copyright information for both “Twin Peaks” and Insight Editions. The journal was manufactured in China.

Here is how the pages appear in the actual journal.

THE BOOKHOUSE BOYS JOURNAL – DOUBLE R DINER MENU AND POCKET

The inside back cover contains an image of the Double R Diner menu and a faux guest check from the diner opposite a 8 x 4.5-inch back pocket containing a special memento from Twin Peaks – Laura Palmer’s Homecoming Queen photo.

Here is how the actual journal appears with the menu and pocket. I’ve previously discussed that Double R Diner menu cover on Twin Peaks Blog.

An image of the menu appears in Mark Frost’s “The Secret History of Twin Peaks.” The image is from Asulkan Valley, Glacier National Park in British Columbia, Canada. I must visit there one day!

Here is the one-sided replica image of Laura Palmer’s Homecoming Queen photo. You can see all of the Laura Palmer photos in this Twin Peaks Blog article. There are multiple versions of this photo. Contrary to a rumor, this image is not Sheryl Lee’s Homecoming Queen photo. This image was created specifically for the show.

INSIGHT EDITIONS CATALOGS FEATURING THE BOOKHOUSE BOYS JOURNAL

Since the journal was released on October 31, 2017, Insight Editions included it in three different gift idea catalogs.

The journal first appears on page 41 of the 2018 Gift Catalog from Insight Editions. There is a “New” button on the upper right side of the journal. Retail is listed at $18.95 per journal.

A similar lay out is found again for the 2019 Gift Catalog.

Inside Editions also released a Stationery Gift Catalog in 2019 with had The Bookhouse Boys journal on page 50.

It appears one final time on Page 51 of the company’s 2020 Gift Catalog. Insight Editions stopped producing the journal after 2020, most likely because their licensing agreement ended. You can, however, find this journal at a number of online, second-hand stores. I easily found a second journal which I unwrapped and scanned for this article.

Download high-resolution images of The Bookhouse Boys journal on my Flickr account: https://www.flickr.com/photos/aloha75/albums/72177720321082397

It’s still pretty amazing that this journal was created. I’d love to see a spinoff series with The Bookhouse Boys fighting the forces of evil in the Pacific Northwest. I’d be like the X-Files but with more pie and coffee.

[Swipes Temple]