Books of Twin Peaks

"Twin Peaks" has spawned several successful books due to its success. During the show's second season, Pocket Books released three official tie-in books, each authored by the show's creators (or their family) which offer a wealth of backstory.

"Twin Peaks" Book Spin-Offs

"The Autobiography of F.B.I. Special Agent Dale Cooper: My Life, My Tapes"

(ISBN 978-0-330-27280-3), 1991: by Scott Frost (Mark Frost's brother). A collection of transcripts from Agent Dale Cooper's audio tapes, from his childhood to the day he is assigned to Laura Palmer's murder. The book includes Dale's upbringing in Philadelphia, family, education at Quaker institutions Germantown Friends School and Haverford College, first stumbles with love, obsession with the FBI, and the relationship between himself, Windom Earle, and Earle's wife. Many of these tape transcripts are dictated to "Diane," though a later tape states that Cooper enjoys the thought of Diane listening to his tapes so much that he will address all tapes to her, whether she will ever listen to them or not.

An audio tape version of the book, recorded by Kyle MacLachlan, was nominated for a Grammy Award for best spoken-word performance.

"The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer"

(ISBN 978-0-671-73590-6), 1990, written by Jennifer Lynch (David Lynch's daughter). Lynch paints a haunting portrait of an abused teen's double life, falling into a world of prostitution and cocaine abuse, while maintaining the "status quo" as homecoming queen and high school student. Published during the summer between the original broadcasts of the first and second seasons, the book provided fans with much-sought-after information regarding Laura's veiled personal life, including her knowledge of and/or relationship with the enigmatic character of "Killer Bob." For the most part, Lynch's book is faithful to the Lynch/Frost collaboration as it existed at the time of its publication. However, discrepancies exist, as when Laura describes a slumber party with friend Donna and cousin Maddy, contradicting a scene in Season One in which they are introduced for the first time after her death. Season Two strays from the Secret Diary by referring to diary entries that do not appear in Lynch's work and by setting the date of her death, and thus (if we assume she was seventeen years old when she died) her birth a year earlier than in the diary. (In Season Two, Episode Four, Harold Smith states that the date is "Tuesday, March 7th," making the year 1989, not 1990.)

"Twin Peaks: An Access Guide to the Town"

(ISBN 978-0-671-74399-4) 1991. This is the most lighthearted and humorous of the books. The book is a parody of a traveler's guide book, as published by the Twin Peaks Chamber of Commerce. Inside, fans can find anything from a history of the Native Americans around the area, to a list of songs on the jukebox in the Double-R Diner. A double-page ad in the middle portrays David Lynch and Mark Frost as brothers "Tim and Tom," who offer a "Taxi-Dermy" service: the blind Tim (Lynch) will drive you anywhere within the Twin Peaks city limits, while Tom (Frost) will stuff and mount any fish or game, up to and including the size of a bear. Pete Martell refers to the shop during the series while displaying a taxidermied fish.

"Twin Peaks: Behind The Scenes"

(ISBN 978-1-556-98284-2), 1991. Written by Mark Altman.

"Welcome To Twin Peaks"

(ISBN 978-0-451-17031-6), 1990. Written by Scott Knickelbine. A Complete Guide to Who's Who and What's What. This book was unauthorized and was later pulled from the shelves.

Audio book spin-off

Early in season 2, Simon & Schuster Audio released "Diane ... The Twin Peaks Tapes of Agent Cooper", a cassette-only release performed by Kyle MacLachlan. The tape consisted of newly-recorded Cooper messages to his never-seen assistant, Diane, mixed in with monologues from the original broadcasts. The tape begins with a prologue monologue in which Cooper discusses his pending trip to Twin Peaks, continues with the initial monologue heard in the pilot, and continues to a point after his recovery from being shot.