800 West Bryn Mawr Avenue
Itasca, Illinois  60143-1594



                          News Release






Contact:
Darrell Elfeldt
Vice President and Controller
630.773.5360

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:    July 2, 1997
                                
          BOISE CASCADE OFFICE PRODUCTS SIGNS AGREEMENT
        TO ACQUIRE MAJOR FRENCH DIRECT MARKETING COMPANY
                                
       ITASCA,   Illinois  --  Boise  Cascade   Office   Products
Corporation  (NYSE:  BOP) today announced that  it  will  acquire
France's third-largest direct marketer of office products,  Jean-
Paul  Guisset  S.A.  ("JPG").  JPG, which has  grown  its  active
customer  list  at an average annual rate of 38 percent  for  the
last  three years, expects sales in 1997 to exceed FF800 million,
or  approximately  $140 million, more than 20  percent  over  the
prior  year.  BOP's acquisition of JPG is expected to close later
this month.

"With  our  acquisition  of  JPG, we will  immediately  establish
ourselves  as  a  major player in the French market,"  said  Pete
Danis,  president  and  CEO of BOP.  "JPG's  consistently  strong
performance  and  rapid growth are a tribute to  its  outstanding
management team.  That team, headed by Mr. Guisset, will continue
to  run  the  business,  with access  to  the  relationships  and
resources  that  we will bring to the table.  Also,  we  can  use
JPG's  distribution  capability to support  direct  marketing  in
neighboring  countries  and other BCOP marketing  initiatives  in
France."

From  its 430,000-square-foot distribution facility, JPG provides
next-day  delivery  to virtually all customers  in  France.   JPG
invested  over $35 million in the last four years  to  build  and
equip  this distribution center, enhance its delivery fleet,  and
install  state-of-the-art computer systems.   The  infrastructure
was designed to support more than a doubling of JPG's 1996 sales.

BOP  recently acquired a contract stationer in the United Kingdom
with  sales of approximately $32 million.  The company  also  has
direct  marketing operations in the U.K. and holds a  50  percent
interest in a direct marketing joint venture in Germany.

Boise  Cascade Office Products Corporation is one of the  world's
premier  business-to-business distributors of  products  for  the
office, with operations in Australia, Canada, Germany, the United
Kingdom, and the United States.

This  press  release includes "forward-looking statements"  which
involve uncertainties and risks.  There can be no assurance  that
actual  results will not differ from the company's  expectations.
Factors  which could cause materially different results  include,
among   others,   successful  completion   of   the   acquisition
transaction  discussed above; the company's success  in  entering
new  countries; availability of capital; competitive and  general
economic  conditions;  and  the other  risks  set  forth  in  the
company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.