Given the huge amount of Doctor Who fiction which has been published since 1991, it's not surprising that a number of non-fiction books looking at the novels have also appeared on shelves, although their approaches to the subject have all been vastly different.
First to be published, in 1996, was Lance Parkin's Doctor Who: A History of the Universe, which attempted to weave a complete timeline of the Doctor Who universe from the Big Bang through to the extreme far future, and which was notable for including information from Virgin Publishing's two ranges of Doctor Who novels. More recently a hugely expanded edition has emerged from Mad Norwegian Press in the United States.
Also from the United States are the three volumes of the invaluable I, Who series of books, each of which provides a summary of novel plots, details of continuity mistakes and character development as well as a large does of trivia and opinion. From I, Who 2 onwards their scope also expanded to include information on the original Doctor Who audio dramas from Big Finish Productions, as well as looking at the spin-offs featuring Bernice Summerfield.
The latest books to be released have both had a nostalgic element.
Telos Publishing's The Target Book examines the hugely successful range of Doctor Who novelisations published from the 1970s onwards, while Bernice Summerfield: The Inside Story from Big Finish Productions takes a look at the history of the character who's first appearance in print was in Paul Cornell's Doctor Who: Love and War way back in 1992.
First to be published, in 1996, was Lance Parkin's Doctor Who: A History of the Universe, which attempted to weave a complete timeline of the Doctor Who universe from the Big Bang through to the extreme far future, and which was notable for including information from Virgin Publishing's two ranges of Doctor Who novels. More recently a hugely expanded edition has emerged from Mad Norwegian Press in the United States.
Also from the United States are the three volumes of the invaluable I, Who series of books, each of which provides a summary of novel plots, details of continuity mistakes and character development as well as a large does of trivia and opinion. From I, Who 2 onwards their scope also expanded to include information on the original Doctor Who audio dramas from Big Finish Productions, as well as looking at the spin-offs featuring Bernice Summerfield.
The latest books to be released have both had a nostalgic element.
Telos Publishing's The Target Book examines the hugely successful range of Doctor Who novelisations published from the 1970s onwards, while Bernice Summerfield: The Inside Story from Big Finish Productions takes a look at the history of the character who's first appearance in print was in Paul Cornell's Doctor Who: Love and War way back in 1992.
Doctor Who: A History of the Universe
by Lance Parkin
- UK
- Paperback
- Doctor Who Books
- May 1996
Other Editions
A History: An Unauthorised History of the Doctor Who Universe
USA / Paperback / Mad Norwegian Press / February 2006
USA / Paperback / Mad Norwegian Press / December 2007
A History: An Unauthorised History of the Doctor Who Universe
USA / Paperback / Mad Norwegian Press / February 2006 USA / Paperback / Mad Norwegian Press / December 2007
Back Cover Blurb — Doctor Who Books
At last, the complete timeline of the DOCTOR WHO universe, from Event One to its final destruction tens of billions of years in the future.
This essential reference work reveals the full story of the Daleks, the Cybermen and the Time Lords. It also includes a comprehensive history of Earth, charting the rise of humanity from a prmitive tribe on the African plains to a race of galaxy-spanning conquerors.
Every recorded event in the DOCTOR WHO television series and the New and Missing Adventures is woven into this fascinating chronicle — with different typefaces used to distinguish the source of the information. Dates range from the obvious (the Battle of Hastings) to the obscure (the year in which Galactic Salvage and Insurance went bust) while extensive notes explain the author's reasoning and research.
Containing a wealth of behind-the-scenes information, much of it revealed here for the first time. A HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE is an indispensible guide to the worlds of DOCTOR WHO.
At last, the complete timeline of the DOCTOR WHO universe, from Event One to its final destruction tens of billions of years in the future.
This essential reference work reveals the full story of the Daleks, the Cybermen and the Time Lords. It also includes a comprehensive history of Earth, charting the rise of humanity from a prmitive tribe on the African plains to a race of galaxy-spanning conquerors.
Every recorded event in the DOCTOR WHO television series and the New and Missing Adventures is woven into this fascinating chronicle — with different typefaces used to distinguish the source of the information. Dates range from the obvious (the Battle of Hastings) to the obscure (the year in which Galactic Salvage and Insurance went bust) while extensive notes explain the author's reasoning and research.
Containing a wealth of behind-the-scenes information, much of it revealed here for the first time. A HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE is an indispensible guide to the worlds of DOCTOR WHO.
Notes
- A History of the Universe is a notable volume for including the books from the New Adventures and Missing Adventures series of novels as part of Doctor Who continuity for the first time.
Jean Marc Lofficier's Doctor Who: The Universal Databank (Doctor Who Books, 1992) had previously started out on this path by including information from the Doctor Who novelisations which had been published by Target Books, however that particular volume was rendered completely useless by virtue of the fact that none of the information was attributed to any particular source. A History of the Universe, on the other hand, made great use of sidenotes to justify the inclusion of each piece of information, as well as providing details of its source. - A History of the Universe wasn't the first time that Lance Parkin had attempted such a project, as he had previously written The Doctor Who Chronology, an A5 fanzine which eventually evolved into the version published in 1996 by Virgin Publishing.
- The Doctor Who Books edition included information from the original television series, as well as details from novels that were published up to May 1996. So the final ones referenced are Happy Endings and The Sands of Time.
The first edition to be published by Mad Norwegian Press moved things along by a decade and added information from the ten years-worth of novels that had been published since the original book, as well as expanding its scope to include information from the various Doctor Who audio dramas released by Big Finish Productions. Also notable was the addition of information from the first season of the revived television series which had aired on BBC One the previous year.
I, Who
by Lars Pearson
- USA
- Paperback
- Sidewinder Press
- October 1999
Back Cover Blurb
The Doctor. Time's Champion. The Eighth Man Bound. The Ka Faraq Gatri. No matter where he goes, no matter how hard he tries, he cannot help but affect change. And now, "I, Who" properly chronicles the escapades of the Doctor and his companions in dozens of original "Who" novels published since 1991.
Can the Doctor find intimacy...if he can't be intimate? Will Benny discover true happiness at the bottom of her hip flask? Which of the Doctor's companions will kill dozens of people by kicking a pop can? It's the ultimate reference guide to almost 40,000 pages of original novels, after which, the Doctor will never be the same.
And neither will you.
The Doctor. Time's Champion. The Eighth Man Bound. The Ka Faraq Gatri. No matter where he goes, no matter how hard he tries, he cannot help but affect change. And now, "I, Who" properly chronicles the escapades of the Doctor and his companions in dozens of original "Who" novels published since 1991.
Can the Doctor find intimacy...if he can't be intimate? Will Benny discover true happiness at the bottom of her hip flask? Which of the Doctor's companions will kill dozens of people by kicking a pop can? It's the ultimate reference guide to almost 40,000 pages of original novels, after which, the Doctor will never be the same.
And neither will you.
Book Contents
Rather surprisingly, three titles weren't covered in I, Who which could have been. Turlough and the Earthlink Dilemma and Harry Sullivan's War, The two Companions of Doctor Who novels published by Target Books in 1986, were both absent, as was The Ultimate Evil, the second of the three books based on unproduced scripts which were published in the early 1990s. Entries for all three were eventually to to turn up in I, Who 2.
- Full details for each of the Doctor Who New Adventures novels published between 1991 and 1997.
- Full details for each of the Missing Adventures novels published between 1994 and 1997.
- Full details for all each of the Eighth Doctor Adventure novels published between 1997 and August 1999. The final entry is for Interference: Book One.
- Full details for each of the Previous Doctor Adventures published between 1997 and July 1999. The final entry is for The Final Sanction.
- Full details for the novelisations of the unproduced scripts The Nightmare Fair and Mission to Magnus, as well as the original novel Who Killed Kennedy.
Rather surprisingly, three titles weren't covered in I, Who which could have been. Turlough and the Earthlink Dilemma and Harry Sullivan's War, The two Companions of Doctor Who novels published by Target Books in 1986, were both absent, as was The Ultimate Evil, the second of the three books based on unproduced scripts which were published in the early 1990s. Entries for all three were eventually to to turn up in I, Who 2.
Notes
- I, Who was the first book to be published which dealt exclusively with the Doctor Who novels which had been published since 1991 by Virgin Publishing and later BBC Books.
The entry for each book included a synopsis, as well as continuity information and background detail on the characters included, and also a brief comment on the merits (or otherwise) of the title in question.
This first book in the series also included a brief "question and answer" section with a handful of the writers of the Doctor Who books, as well as several trivia sections. - I, Who included a foreword by Sylvester McCoy, best known to Doctor Who fans for playing the part of the Seventh Doctor on television between 1987 and 1989.
I, Who 2
by Lars Pearson
- USA
- Paperback
- Mad Norwegian Press
- September 2001
Back Cover Blurb
Earth, the 20th century. A Time Lord known as the Doctor, lacking an identity, past or agenda — but still the most dangerous man in the Universe — makes our innocent blue-green planet his home through the World War years and more.
Dellah, the late 26th century. Bernice Summerfield, self-accredited academic, professional lush, agent of God and razor-honed sarcastic, holds the potential to stop Universal armageddon — if she lives.
Through all the triumphs, all the tragedies, every drop of furor-driven love, unrequited emotion and loss, I, Who 2 documents the "Doctor Who" original novels after the Earth-shaking Interference, the whole of the Benny books, the Big Finish audio line and more. It's a literary and audio tapestry so vast, it takes 170,000 words and a myriad of locations in time and space to tell this story.
The Doctor would approve.
Earth, the 20th century. A Time Lord known as the Doctor, lacking an identity, past or agenda — but still the most dangerous man in the Universe — makes our innocent blue-green planet his home through the World War years and more.
Dellah, the late 26th century. Bernice Summerfield, self-accredited academic, professional lush, agent of God and razor-honed sarcastic, holds the potential to stop Universal armageddon — if she lives.
Through all the triumphs, all the tragedies, every drop of furor-driven love, unrequited emotion and loss, I, Who 2 documents the "Doctor Who" original novels after the Earth-shaking Interference, the whole of the Benny books, the Big Finish audio line and more. It's a literary and audio tapestry so vast, it takes 170,000 words and a myriad of locations in time and space to tell this story.
The Doctor would approve.
Book Contents
- Full details for all each of the Eighth Doctor Adventure novels published between September 1999 and February 2001, which includes the books from The Blue Angel to Escape Velocity.
- Full details for each of the Previous Doctor Adventures published between September 1999 and February 2001, which includes the books from City at World's End to Bunker Soldiers.
- Full details on all of the New Adventures spin-off books featuring Bernice Summerfield published between May 1997 and December 1999 as well as information on the first two novels from Big Finish Productions, the first five audio adaptations based on the books and the very first original audio story, The Secret of Cassandra.
- Details for all of the Doctor Who audio dramas produced by Big Finish Productions between 1999 and April 2001, finishing with the Eighth Doctor tale Minuet in Hell.
- Other odds and ends covered include Turlough and the Earthlink Dilemma and Harry Sullivan's War from the short-live Companions of Doctor Who series, the novelisation of The Pescatons, the script book of the unproduced story The Masters of Luxor, the unofficially released novel Campaign, the pilot to Death Comes to Time and the 1998 Comic Relief production The Curse of Fatal Death.
- Rather curiously, I, Who 2 also includes an unused chapter from the Fifth Doctor novel The Sands of Time, along with an explanation from author Justin Richards on why it was never used.
Notes
- A continuation from the previous book in the series, I, Who, but which expanded on the concept by also starting to include information from the Doctor Who audio adventures produced by Big Finish Productions since 1999, as well details on the Bernice Summerfeld spin-offs novels and audios.
Like the previous book in the series, I, Who 2 included a "question and answer" section with a handful of the writers of the Doctor Who books. The trivia sections from the previous book were dropped. - The introduction to the book was provided by Star Trek author Peter David.
I, Who 3
by Lars Pearson
- USA
- Paperback
- Mad Norwegian Press
- May 2003
Back Cover Blurb
The Doctor. A survivor of the nearly extinguished "elemental" Time Lord race, a near-total amnesiac who stakes Earth's very existence on a ritualistic marriage in 1782 — all to save humanity from becoming less than apes.
Sabbath. A former British intelligence agent. Insatiably curious, and deeming himself an infinitely preferable guardian of humanity. It's only a matter of time before he exploits the Doctor's naivete or eliminates him — possibly both.
Dissecting this conflict and many more of the Doctor's struggles, I, Who 3 indexes and reviews the EDA novels EarthWorld through Time Zero, the PDAs Rags through Ten Little Aliens, loads of Big Finish audios, a heap of Benny stories and much more. All this, and an Uber-Timeline reconciling more than 450 "Doctor Who" stories into a desperate, passionate and strange adventure through time and space. Which is how it should be.
The Doctor. A survivor of the nearly extinguished "elemental" Time Lord race, a near-total amnesiac who stakes Earth's very existence on a ritualistic marriage in 1782 — all to save humanity from becoming less than apes.
Sabbath. A former British intelligence agent. Insatiably curious, and deeming himself an infinitely preferable guardian of humanity. It's only a matter of time before he exploits the Doctor's naivete or eliminates him — possibly both.
Dissecting this conflict and many more of the Doctor's struggles, I, Who 3 indexes and reviews the EDA novels EarthWorld through Time Zero, the PDAs Rags through Ten Little Aliens, loads of Big Finish audios, a heap of Benny stories and much more. All this, and an Uber-Timeline reconciling more than 450 "Doctor Who" stories into a desperate, passionate and strange adventure through time and space. Which is how it should be.
Book Contents
- Full details for all each of the Eighth Doctor Adventure novels published between March 2001 and September 2002, which includes the books from EarthWorld to Time Zero.
- Full details for each of the Previous Doctor Adventures published between March 2001 and September 2002, which includes the books from Rags to Ten Little Aliens.
- Full details for the first four Doctor Who novellas from Telos Publishing, from Time and Relative to Ghost Ship.
- Details for all of the Doctor Who audio dramas produced by Big Finish Productions between May 2001 and June 2002, beginning with Loups-Garoux and finishing with Neverland.
- Full details on the first series of Dalek Empire audio dramas.
- Also included in I, Who 3 are details of the full five-part version of the Death Comes to Time webcast, the "Doctor Who Uber-Timeline" which attempts to put every single Doctor Who television story, novel and audio drama into the correct order, and a prologue to the first original novel in Mad Norwegian's series of Faction Paradox spin-off novels, This Town Will Never Let Us Go.
Notes
- A continuation from the previous book in the series, I, Who 2. The only major addition to the stories covered this time around were the Dalek Empire audio dramas and the series of Doctor Who novellas from Telos Publishing.
The Target Book: A History of the Target Doctor Who Books
by David J Howe
- UK
- Paperback
- Telos Publishing
- October 2007
Other Editions
The Target Book: A History of the Target Doctor Who Books
UK / Hardback / Telos Publishing / October 2007
The hardback edition was limited to just 120 copies (at £50 each) and was available exclusively from the Telos website. All copies were signed by the authors and cover artist Alister Pearson, as well as various other contributors to the Target range down the years.
The Target Book: A History of the Target Doctor Who Books
UK / Hardback / Telos Publishing / October 2007The hardback edition was limited to just 120 copies (at £50 each) and was available exclusively from the Telos website. All copies were signed by the authors and cover artist Alister Pearson, as well as various other contributors to the Target range down the years.
Back Cover Blurb
From 1973 until 1994, the Target Doctor Who paperbacks were a mainstay of the publishing world. From humble beginnings, they grew into a list running to 156 individual titles and selling over 13 million copies world-wide.
This is the story of Target Books. Noted researcher and historian David J Howe chronicles the origins of the imprint, speaking to all the major players in its development, from editors to art directors, managing directors to artists and authors, and charts the books' critical reception as well as the fortunes and failings of the many publishing houses involved in their production.
Profusely illustrated with all the covers, plus rare and unseen sketches and unused concepts and ideas, The Target Book is the definitive guide to a range of books which shaped the reading habits of a generation.
From 1973 until 1994, the Target Doctor Who paperbacks were a mainstay of the publishing world. From humble beginnings, they grew into a list running to 156 individual titles and selling over 13 million copies world-wide.
This is the story of Target Books. Noted researcher and historian David J Howe chronicles the origins of the imprint, speaking to all the major players in its development, from editors to art directors, managing directors to artists and authors, and charts the books' critical reception as well as the fortunes and failings of the many publishing houses involved in their production.
Profusely illustrated with all the covers, plus rare and unseen sketches and unused concepts and ideas, The Target Book is the definitive guide to a range of books which shaped the reading habits of a generation.
Notes
- The Target Book is based on The Changing Face of Target Books, a series of articles by David J Howe which were first published in Doctor Who Magazine around the turn of the century.
Chapter One: Binding Contracts was published in issue 291 (31 May, 2000) and dealt with the reprinting of the three books which had been written in the 1960s. The article also saw Roy Knipe's artwork for the Death the Daleks novelisation being used as the front cover.
Chapter Two: Binding Contracts appeared in issue 293 (26 July, 2000).
Chapter Three: Larger Than Life appeared in issue 294 (20 September, 2000)
Chapter Four: Striking Terror appeared in issue 297 (15 November, 2000)
Chapter Five: History Repeating appeared in issue 299 (10 January, 2001)
Chapter Six: End of the Line appeared in issue 301 (7 March, 2001)
The series of six articles proved extremely popular and a follow-up series looking at the New Adventures and Missing Adventures released by Virgin Publishing between 1994 and 1997 commenced in issue 305.
Bernice Summerfield: The Inside Story
by Simon Guerrier
- UK
- Hardback
- Big Finish Productions
- August 2009
Back Cover Blurb
She has brought down empires and decided the fate of the universe. She is feared by the creatures of evil and revered wherever people have had just a little bit too much to drink. And Bernice Surprise Summerfield isn't yet out of her teens.
The Inside Story charts the history of everyone's favourite space archaeologist. We follow Bernice from her first appearance in Paul Cornell's 1992 novel Love and War, through more than 150 books and audio plays to previews of her forthcoming adventures.
The Inside Story talks to more than 100 people involved in Benny's development. Find out how she came to be, how she was developed and where she's going next.
See the stories that almost got told, and listen in on the creative battles, personality clashes and very, very bad jokes.
With exclusive access to never-before-published material, The Inside Story is as wild, exciting and unlikely a journey as any Benny has made herself.
Includes a Foreword by Benny's creator, Paul Cornell, and an Afterword by Lisa Bowerman, who plays Benny in the audio dramas.
She has brought down empires and decided the fate of the universe. She is feared by the creatures of evil and revered wherever people have had just a little bit too much to drink. And Bernice Surprise Summerfield isn't yet out of her teens.
The Inside Story charts the history of everyone's favourite space archaeologist. We follow Bernice from her first appearance in Paul Cornell's 1992 novel Love and War, through more than 150 books and audio plays to previews of her forthcoming adventures.
The Inside Story talks to more than 100 people involved in Benny's development. Find out how she came to be, how she was developed and where she's going next.
See the stories that almost got told, and listen in on the creative battles, personality clashes and very, very bad jokes.
With exclusive access to never-before-published material, The Inside Story is as wild, exciting and unlikely a journey as any Benny has made herself.
Includes a Foreword by Benny's creator, Paul Cornell, and an Afterword by Lisa Bowerman, who plays Benny in the audio dramas.
Notes
- A book which celebrates the continuing adventures of everyone's favourite intergalactic archaeologist, Professor Bernice Summerfield.
The character first appeared in the Doctor Who novel Love and War by Paul Cornell in October 1992, and then continued in the New Adventures series until December 1999, eighteen months after Virgin Publishing had lost their licence to publish Doctor Who fiction. A short hiatus then ensued until Big Finish Productions announced that they had acquired the rights to produce new stories featuring the character in both book and audio form, having already demonstrated their abilities with five audio dramas based on the existing books.
Although the paperback novels proved to be something of a flop, the audio dramas, starring Lisa Bowerman as the lead character, continue to this day, with the four stories comprsising Season 10 being released in the summer of 2009. And although not released on the schedule they have been in the past few years, Big Finish still manage to release the odd anthology or original novel featuring the character.
