In TSV 28 I looked at some of the
non-fiction books that covered the behind the scenes of Doctor Who.
Here are some of the other non-fiction books that were published between 1976
and 1988.
Doctor Who and the Daleks Omnibus
This 1976 book from Artus has special meaning for me. It was after reading it
that I became a Who fan! Based on material written by Terry Nation it
contains abridged adaptations of Terrance Dicks' novelisations of Planet
and Genesis of the Daleks plus studies of Dalek planets and weapons, and
a photographic listing of the TV and movie Dalek stories. The book is noted for
containing eight pages from the Genesis script.
The Doctor Who Dinosaur Book
This was the first in a series of picture books (all the same size as the
first Monster Book) written by Terrance Dicks which capitalized on Tom
Baker's popularity as the Doctor. As the title suggests, this 1976 Target book
takes a look at dinosaurs and cavemen with a 'commentary' by the Doctor. The
cover illustration is duplicated on a large fold out poster.
Doctor Who Discovers...
As a follow-up to the Dinosaur Book, Target published (in 1977) five
more books in the series: Early Man, Space Travel, Strange and Mysterious
Creatures, Prehistoric Animals, and The Conquerors. Each contained a
poster of the cover art and the text was illustrated with drawings and photos.
The Jon Pertwee Book Of Monsters
While not a Doctor Who book as such, this 1978 Magnet Book contains
short stories selected and introduced by Pertwee. The volume was edited by
Richard Davis.
Junior Doctor Who...
Following complaints from the parents of young children that their Doctor
Who novelisations were too hard to read, Target decided to produce as
series of books rewritten with 5-8 year old readers in mind. Terrance Dicks
(who else!) was selected for this task, and he chose two of his own TV stories
as the first books. The Giant Robot and The Brain of Morbius were
both published in 1979 and 1980 (in hardback and paperback). They are an inch
taller and wider than the usual novels, with rather groovy illustrations by
Peter Edwards. The Brain of Morbius was reprinted with the neon logo in 1985.
The Adventures of K9
When K9 was written out of the series in 1980, one of his creators, Dave
Martin, was approached by Sparrow Books to write a series of children's picture
books about the mechanical mutt. Four titles were published: The Beasts of
Vega, The Time Trap, The Missing Planet and The Zeta Rescue. The
stories follow the exploits of K9 Mark 1, who is sent by the Time Lords on
missions in his space ship the K-NEL.
The Doctor Who Quiz Books
Before he became the editor of the Target Doctor Who novels, Nigel
Robinson was a freelance writer. In 1981 he put together The Doctor Who Quiz
Book which contained questions from the first four Doctors' eras. This was
followed in 1983 with The Second Doctor Who Quiz Book, now including the
Fifth Doctor. The Sixth Doctor's first season was included in 1985 with The
Third Doctor Who Quiz Book. All three offer excellent source material for
convention/video day quizzes...
Doctor Who Crossword Book
If the three quiz books weren't enough for him, Robinson also produced a
crossword book for Target (in 1982). A standard crossword style with
symmetrical grids was used for the 45 puzzles with most clues being Doctor Who
based. Perfect to while away those cold winter nights...
Doctor Who Quiz Book(s) of...
Magnet Books released four titles in 1983 written by TV 'scientist' Michael
Holt. The four books were Doctor Who Quiz Book of Magic, Science, Space,
and Dinosaurs (a popular subject!). The books (adorned with a cut out
photo of Peter Davison's Doctor stuck onto an illustrated background) each have
the Doctor giving his companions Tegan, Nyssa and Turlough a lecture about the
subject in question. Each chapter then ends with a short test/game/puzzle. They
are illustrated with line cartoons which don't do the actors any justice
whatsoever...
Peter Davison's Book of Alien Monsters
Peter Davison's Book of Alien Planets
As if to cash in on Davison's portrayal as the Doctor, in 1983 Sparrow Books
put out two collections of short stories selected and introduced by Davison.
Ray Bradbury and Arthur C. Clarke feature among the writers.
Doctor Who - Brain Teasers and Mind-Benders
Adrian Heath, a Doctor Who fan in his early teens, put together a
collection of games and puzzles, each with a Doctor Who theme, and
submitted it to Target books. They published it in 1984. The puzzles include
clueless crosswords, anagrams, hidden letters, etc.
The Doctor Who Pattern Book
With this 1984 WH Allen release, by Joy Gammon, you too can have hours of fun
putting together your own TARDIS cushion, 17 foot scarf, cuddly Cybermat pillow
case, or even a K9 shoulder bag!
Doctor Who Puzzle Book
When Colin Baker became the Doctor, Magnet put out Michael Holt's fifth book
(in 1985). This book features the Doctor, Peri and K9 (!) as they travel from
planet to planet solving various tricks and riddles to lead them to their next
destination. Unlike the other Holt books, the illustrations look like the
actors. This item is a rarity because unlike Target, Magnet had licence to use
Colin Baker's face on the cover. The expression on his face makes one wonder if
the book should instead be called the Doctor Who Puzzled Book..!
The Doctor Who Cookbook
JNT's Production Manager Gary Downie prepared this 1985 WH Allen book. The book
contains the favourite recipes of some of Doctor Who's better known cast
members; so you too can try the delights of Vegetable soup with Dalek Krotons,
Davros' Ribs of revenge, Castrovalvan Kebabs, and the like. The only good thing
about this (waste of a) book is Gail Bennett's wonderful cartoons.
A Solo-Play Adventure Game
1986 saw the release of two books that were licenced solely to the American
company FASA, better known for their Role Playing Games, and written by William
H. Keith Jnr. The Vortex Crystal features the Fourth Doctor, Sarah and
Harry Sullivan up against the Daleks, and The Rebel's Gamble has the
Sixth Doctor, Peri and Harry (??) in the midst of the American Civil War. The
Rebel's Gamble features rare Colin Baker cover art.
The Companions Of Doctor Who
Target tried an experiment in 1986 under Nigel Robinson's editorship; books
using the Doctor's (ex) companions in the central role. The short-lived series
was kicked off with Tony Attwood's Turlough and the Earthlink Dilemma.
Unfortunately the story is very confusing, and Turlough is nothing like his
television self. Ian Marter's Harry Sullivan's War was a lot better,
mainly because Marter had played Harry on TV and knew the character better than
anyone else. The experiment failed due to poor sales of these two books but a
third title, K9 and Company, was released in 1987. Unlike the other two
books, this was actually a novelisation, making it a convenient addition to the
Companions series. Terence Dudley adapted his own script, A Girl's Best
Friend, which was the pilot for the unmade series K9 and Company, produced
by the BBC in 1980.
Make Your Own Adventure With Doctor Who
It seemed inevitable that Doctor Who would be hit by the 'Plot Your Own
Adventure' craze. Severn House put out six of these books in 1986, all written
by well-known Doctor Who authors: Search for the Doctor (Dave Martin),
Crisis in Space (Michael Holt), Garden of Evil (Martin), Race
Against Time (Pip & Jane Baker), Mission to Venus (William Emms)
and Invasion of the Ormazoids (Philip Martin). All of the stories
feature the Sixth Doctor and Peri. Mission to Venus is actually an
adaptation of an unused script that Emms wrote back in 1966 called The Imps.
Garden of Evil is also based on an unused script. Race Against Time was
rewritten a year later by the Bakers to become Sylvester McCoy's debut story
Time and the Rani!
The Doctor Who Fun Book
Tim Quinn and Dicky Howett write and draw the hilarious 'Doctor Who?' cartoon
in Doctor Who Magazine. In 1987, Target released a large-sized 68-page
book of their cartoons. Anyone who appreciates Howett's unique drawing style
and Quinn's wicked sense of humour are sure to enjoy this book. It would take a
good few hours of close study to identify all the characters appearing in the
centre-spread '40th Anniversary Poster'! So if you've got a few hours to
spare...
Doctor Who - It's Bigger On The Inside!
Quinn and Howett put out this second book of cartoons in 1988, but this time
Marvel Comics was the publisher. There have been promises of a third volume but
we're still waiting...
