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Indiana Jones' journal

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"Use it as a journal or diary. Write down anything that interests or strikes you."
―Henry Jones, to his son Indiana.[src]

American archaeologist Indiana Jones kept a journal of his adventures from 1908 to at least 1957, the year that Russian intelligence cataloged it as 71-8313-HJJ

While it contained much of his life experiences written across decades, Jones also utilized other diaries to supplement his expeditions, both his own and those of colleagues.

History[]

Indiana Jones was given a journal by his father Henry Walton Jones, Senior, after the Jones family had arrived in Egypt in 1908 for their world lecture tour.[2] He used it to document all of his childhood and teen adventures. It served as a record of places he had been, things he had learned and people he had met.[1] While serving the French during the Battle of Verdun in 1916, Jones hid his diary in his bunk and noted everything he was seeing across World War I to understand what appeared to be a senseless conflict.[3]

Receivingthejournal

Indy receives the journal from his father.

The cover featured an ibis, the symbol of the Egyptian god Thoth (the scribe of the gods) until age forced it to be replaced with a leather cover inscribed with Jones' signature around 1930.[1]

Around 1933, Indiana Jones translated the Kartikeya Tablet, which told the legend of Shardul and his golden weapon that manifested its victim's greatest fears. Indy kept a copy of the translation in his journal as well as notes on how to access the Temple of Shardul. After gaining entry, Indy left the diary outside the temple in case something happened to him. It was utilized by colleague Rachel Flannery who followed Indy's notes and, with the help of junior archaeologists, freed Jones in the middle of a lecture at the site.[4]

Indy used a different and smaller journal during his search for the Ark of the Covenant in 1936,[5] and another journal gifted by Marion Ravenwood during the search of the Great Circle in 1937.[6]

Though it fell into KGB possession in November 1957,[1] it was eventually returned to Jones, as he carried it with him well into his 90s around 1992 and 1993.[7]

While in KGB hands, the journal was given the item number "71-8313-HJJ". The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation circulated the information within at some point, with notations to intelligence agents for other countries, code-named "Mad Dog", "Monkey" and "Grey Wolf" as well as publishing it when high public demand called for access to its contents at some point during or after 2000.[1] The release was covered inside Daily News.[8]

Known entries[]

Behind the scenes[]

The journal first appeared in "Young Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Jackal",[11] and mirrors Henry Sr.'s Grail diary seen in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.[12] However, a book prop named "Young Indy's Diary" was actually made for the film.[13] In addition to playing a role in various episodes, Old Indy is seen opening the journal in the opening credits to each episode, and closing it in the closing credits of each episode.[14]

The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones DVD sets are designed to look like the journal. They also reveal some of Jones' entries. Additionally, the discs feature an interactive timeline which reveals much of the journal's contents. The diary can also be seen on a menu on the official website for LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures. The journal, along with many other Indiana Jones props, was eventually displayed at George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch.[15] As a tie-in to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, a book and calendar was released based on the diary.[16]

Continuity[]

Old book

Indy rediscovering his "Old Book"

The Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade adventure game features an inventory item called the "old book" that can be obtained when the player visits the Jones house. This item is a diary that Indy made as a child, and is described as similar to the Grail Diary. The in-game book can be useful at a certain point, since the player has the option to use it to fool Vogel, giving it to him in place of the actual Grail Diary when confronted at Castle Brunwald, helping the player to actually bypass some canonical versions of events that appear in the film.[17]

Although it is possible that the game item is the very same journal seen in the series, it must be noted that the game predated the TV series by three years. To date there has not been any connection of that item with the journal seen in the series. While the "old book" was described as a child's attempt to copy his father's work in crayon,[17] the journal of the series does not have such similarities.[4]

Notes in The Lost Journal of Indiana Jones mention that the original cover of the journal, with the image of Thoth, was damaged and replaced with a simple leather cover around 1930.[1] However, the journal appears in Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings, which takes place in 1939, with its Thoth-cover still on the front.[18]

The Lost Journal of Indiana Jones claims that the KGB took possession of the journal in 1957, and it was not released until the 21st century by the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation,[1] however bookend segments of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles show Indiana Jones in possession of his journal in the 1990s.[14] Although the bookends were removed for the DVD release, the journal can still be seen being closed by the hands of the aged Jones at the end of each episode.[19]

The book includes Jones's Ty Cobb baseball card[1] despite him giving it away to Jiddu Krishnamurti in 1910.[20]

Appearances[]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.30 1.31 1.32 1.33 1.34 The Lost Journal of Indiana Jones
  2. ↑ The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles – "Young Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Jackal" → My First Adventure
  3. ↑ Field of Death
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Indiana Jones and the Secret of the Stone Tiger
  5. ↑ Raiders of the Lost Ark
  6. ↑ Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
  7. ↑ The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles – "London, May 1916" → Love's Sweet Song
  8. ↑ Indiana Jones: The Official Magazine 3
  9. ↑ Disneyland – Roaming cast Meet and Greet
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 The Diaries of Indiana Jones
  11. ↑ The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles – "Young Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Jackal" → My First Adventure
  12. ↑ Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
  13. ↑ From Star Wars To Indiana Jones - The Best of the Lucasfilm Archives
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
  15. ↑ [1]
  16. ↑ Image courtesy of throwmetheidol.com
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure
  18. ↑ Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings
  19. ↑ The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones
  20. ↑ The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles – "Benares, January 1910" → Journey of Radiance

External links[]

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