August Books 12) The Target Book: A History of the Target Doctor Who Books, by David J. Howe
Telos have really come up with the goods this time. This is an exhaustive history of the twenty-one years of publication of the Target novelisations of the classic Doctor Who television stories, buttressed by interviews with the writers and illustrators (most of whom get featured in sidebars as well as appearing in the main text, many of the interviews having been conducted by Tim Neal), and also with the various editors responsible for the line in a bewildering dance of corporate ownership and managerial responsibilities across several changes of parent company. It is beautifully illustrated with the art from the various books. Appendices list all the Who-related Target books (including Junior Doctor Who, Companions, compilations, quizbooks, cookbooks, Discovers, etc) and also the ones that weren't published (including David Whitaker's original outline for Doctor Who and the Enemy of the World, written in the end by Ian Marter after Whitaker's death). Also, rather than trying to critique each novel anew, we get a report of fannish reviews at the time of publication (I was surprised to read of the negative reaction to Donald Cotton's superb Doctor Who and the Romans). Terrance Dicks supplies a typically Terrantial foreword. Well worth adding to your Whovian reference collection.
