A Place Both Wonderful and Strange:
The Extraordinary Untold History of Twin Peaks
by Scott Meslow | Running Press | 272 pages
For the first time, the complete history of David Lynch and Mark Frost’s Twin Peaks—from the landmark, original cult series that changed the course of television to its 25-years-in-the-making sequel—is told through fascinatingly detailed reporting and exclusive interviews with the show’s cast and creators.
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From its start, when studio executives drafted a plan to recoup costs after what they predicted would be the series’ inevitable failure, to the 1992 prequel movie that earned scathing reviews at Cannes, to its unexpected and acclaimed return some twenty-five years later, Twin Peaks garnered millions of devoted fans who refused to let it die.
In A Place Both Wonderful and Strange, entertainment reporter Scott Meslow takes readers behind the curtain of Lynch’s and Frost’s dedication to finishing what they started, with both the prequel film and Showtime’s Twin Peaks: The Return, offering dozens of original and revelatory interviews that cast a whole new light on the extraordinary show. Twin Peaks fans will discover how hard the mercurial Lynch and affable Frost fought impatient ABC execs (ultimately losing) to keep Laura Palmer’s murder unsolved, as well as the omerta-like secrecy around the filming of the show.
For a series that left as many questions unanswered as answered, Meslow’s deep reporting will give readers a new perspective, detailing scenes left on the cutting–room floor and how Season Two’s finale stunned and infuriated studio execs in what Mark Frost calls “a defiant middle finger to what they [studio executives] thought the show should be.”
The influence of Twin Peaks is inescapable. It’s hard to imagine prestige television like True Detective, Severance, and so many other shows in this genre could exist without Lynch and Frost’s visionary brilliance. With David Lynch’s passing in 2025, there may never be another return to the quirky, mysterious, and unforgettable town of Twin Peaks, but A Place Both Wonderful and Strange serves as testament to the impact it had on the world.
Editorial Reviews
“Scott Meslow’s dishy, insightful account of the making of Twin Peaks applies a sharp lens to the surreal blockbuster that rocked the television medium in the early 1990s, along with the two wild sequels that followed in its wake. Smartly reported and full of thoughtful analyses of the complex collaboration behind the franchise, as well as the show’s many highs, lows and ‘happy accidents,’ A Place Both Wonderful and Strange is the perfect book for anyone eager to unlock the mysteries of The Black Lodge and the people who built it.”―Emily Nussbaum, Pulitzer Prize-winning television critic and staff writer for The New Yorker
“Illuminating and exhaustive, full of revelations large and small, this is absolutely essential reading for any Twin Peaks or David Lynch fan.” —Megan Abbott, New York Times bestselling author of El Dorado Drive and The Turnout
“An essential re-examination of a moment in time when a singular artistic vision changed everything we thought we knew about TV and inspired countless storytellers in the process. Coffee and cherry pie for everyone.”―James Roday Rodriguez, actor, writer, and director
“A loving, deeply reported guide to the greatest cult show in television history. Twin Peaks obsessives, novices, and everyone in between will become consumed by Scott Meslow's dive into the wild history of David Lynch and Mark Frost's masterpiece.” ―Andy Greene, Senior Writer for Rolling Stone and author of The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s
“A Place Both Wonderful and Strange delivers a full account of the life, death, and resurrection of one of the most influential television shows in history—Twin Peaks. Author Scott Meslow covers it all. Give yourself a present and read this book!” ―John Thorne, author of Ominous Whoosh: A Wandering Mind Returns to Twin Peaks