Target Books

Target Books were by far the dominant publisher of Doctor Who prose fiction and non-fiction from the 1970s to the early 1990s. They were most famous for their line of novelisations of Doctor Who serials, in part because the novelisations were the principle route by which some fans could experience missing episodes. Technically an imprint, and not an independent publisher, they were owned by several houses. However, the Doctor Who line is most associated with W.H. Allen & Co, who owned Target from 1977–1989, and Virgin Books, who bought them in 1990 and extended and reprinted the line until 1994.

Overview
Target Books was a publishing imprint set up in 1972 as a range of paperback fiction for readers of approximately 14 years of age. It was for its long lived and highly successful range of Doctor Who novelisations that Target became best known. Target almost exclusively published paperbacks, but their novelisations did occasionally get first printings in hardback by related publishers Allan Wingate and W.H. Allen & Co. Many of the hardcovers are considered rare, given that they received far smaller distribution than the paperbacks (especially outside the UK).

The Target imprint changed hands many times over its history but up until the end, when it adopted a more modern monochrome version, retained its distinctive, brightly-coloured logo. By the end of the series, they had novelised almost every Doctor Who television story and adapted every one of the First, Second, Third and Seventh Doctors' on-screen adventures.

The importance of the Doctor Who novelisations to maintaining interest and knowledge in the franchise cannot be overestimated. Prior to the 1980s, it was usually impossible to obtain recordings of previously aired stories. Reruns were rare and sporadic, and many episodes from the 1960s were destroyed and believed lost forever. The novelisations were (and in some cases remain) the only venues for reliving past stories, or catching up on stories never seen before by fans. They also provided opportunities for many stories to be presented in a form unhampered by TV budgets and special effects technology limitations.


 * See also
 * Target Books novelisations covers (for a televised ordered gallery)
 * Doctor Who novelisation covers

The 1970s
Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks and Doctor Who and the Crusaders, adapted by David Whitaker and Doctor Who and the Zarbi, adapted by Bill Strutton, saw publication as hardbacks by Frederick Muller in the mid-1960s. In 1973, Target began its run of Doctor Who novelisations by reprinting these three titles. For the Target edition, the Daleks novel had its title shortened to Doctor Who and the Daleks. All had new covers by Chris Achilleos, who would illustrate the first wave of Target Doctor Who books.

An original publication, Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion by Terrance Dicks would follow in 1974. Over the years, "Uncle Terry", as fans would nickname him, would write more Target Books and have a closer association with them in the minds of fans, than any other writer. He would also write a short-lived series of simplified Junior Doctor Who novelisations for younger readers.

Linking some early Target novelisations to their television counterparts was a challenge at times, as for the first few years Target occasionally published novelisations under titles that differed from the TV originals. This practice actually pre-dated Target, with Doctor Who and the Zarbi having been based upon The Web Planet. Under Target, for example, Spearhead from Space became Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion. When the decision was made to keep the original title, the prefix Doctor Who and... was usually added. There were a few exceptions, such as the release of Doctor Who: The Three Doctors. Also there were occasional exceptions for first-edition hardcover publications, such as the novelisation of Revenge of the Cybermen which was first published as Doctor Who: The Revenge of the Cybermen in hardcover, and Doctor Who and the Revenge of the Cybermen in paperback.

An even greater challenge is posed for those reading the books in televised order. When the Target line (and, indeed, the earlier Muller) were launched, the publishers had no inkling of the comprehensive nature the book series would take over the next 20 years. As a result,  several novelisations ignore the events of previous stories, creating continuity issues. For example, PROSE: Doctor Who and the Doomsday Weapon, based upon the Season 8 story TV: Colony in Space, includes introductions for Jo Grant and the Master, with Grant meeting the Doctor for the first time. In reality both characters were introduced in TV: Terror of the Autons which wasn't novelised until some time later, and that book once again introduced the two characters. Similarly, Doctor Who and the Daleks ignores the events of TV: An Unearthly Child and thus creates a continuity hiccup for those who first read the novelisation of An Unearthly Child which wasn't published until the early 1980s. (This situation is not confined to 1970s issues; in the 1980s the novelisation of TV: Mindwarp contained an epilogue that contradicted the ending of a later novelisation, TV: The Ultimate Foe.)

The Muller reprints were not the last books by another publisher to be reissued by Target, as the company also published a new edition of The Making of Doctor Who, a book previously issued by Piccolo Books.

Beginning in the second half of the 1970s, W.H. Allen and/or related publishers began issuing hardcover editions of the novels. In some cases these predated the paperback editions by months. Often they were published simultaneously, and in the case of a few of the 1974–75 books hardcover editions weren't published for nearly a decade.

The 1980s
During the 1980's, experimentally, Target published two original novels featuring further adventures of the Doctor's companions, Turlough and the Earthlink Dilemma by Tony Attwood and Harry Sullivan's War by Ian Marter, who had played Harry Sullivan on television. Target also took up three scripts from the 'lost' version of Season 23 which, due to the delay and re-thinking of Season 23 by the then-current production team of Doctor Who, never made their way onto screen. Target also began to look beyond the televised series for source material by novelising the radio play Slipback and the spin-off special K9 and Company: A Girl's Best Friend.

Beginning in 1981, Target began making a concerted effort to enlist the original script-writers in writing the novelisations based upon their stories (a practice actually dating back to Strutton's Zarbi novel, but only occasionally employed during the 1970s). They were successful in commissioning novelisations even from writers who had last worked on the series in the 1960s. Where the original author was unavailable, unwilling, or deceased, the range turned to one of its staff writers, such as Marter or Terrance Dicks. The practice of having the original scriptwriters write the books when possible would continue for the remainder of the line. The two most significant writers whom Target was unable to commission for novelisations were Terry Nation and Douglas Adams. Marter had the unique distinction of adapting several stories in which he himself had performed as Harry Sullivan; he died in 1986 and several of his novelisations were published posthumously. One of Marter's books, Doctor Who and the Enemy of the World, was controversial for incorporating adult concepts and language — issues that would later resurface when original Doctor Who novels began to appear in the 1990s.

Towards the late 1980s and into the 1990s, however, Target loosened the policy of only commissioning writers with past connection to Doctor Who on TV, beginning with the novelisation of The Celestial Toymaker, which was co-authored by Gerry Davis and Alison Bingeman, a writer with no Doctor Who connection. Later, Nigel Robinson, the line's editor, who otherwise had no Doctor Who TV connection, wrote four books. In the 1990s, John Peel would write the final five Daleks novelisations.

In 1982, Target phased out the practice of adding Doctor Who and... to its novelisation titles. In 1988, the practice of publishing hardcover editions was abandoned following publication of The Smugglers.

The Virgin years
During the 1990's the company was acquired by Virgin Publishing. The only titles still held by Target were the Doctor Who stories. Many of the titles were reissued with new covers, but to many readers they were still affectionately regarded as Target Books. Indeed Virgin itself referred to the later titles as part of "the Target Library"!

The end of Target Books
In the later years of the run, Target was successful in negotiating with Terry Nation's estate the rights to adapt four of his Daleks storylines, most notably The Chase and The Daleks' Master Plan; the latter had to be published in two volumes.

Target eventually outlasted the original run of Doctor Who itself, which ended with Season 26 in 1989. The Target line continued in the "short paperback" form until the release of Doctor Who - The Pescatons in 1991 — an adaptation of an audio play, as virtually all available televised stories had been adapted by this time. Between 1990 and 1994 Target republished many of its older releases with new cover art; a subsidiary, Star Books, also published omnibus paperback editions combining two books at a time. The 1990–1994 reissues and the Star Books editions were straight reprints, rather than new editions that corrected typographical and other errors.

After 1991, several additional releases were published in longer-format paperbacks by the owner of Target, Virgin Publishing, beginning with the adaptations of The Evil of the Daleks and The Power of the Daleks, the last two remaining Terry Nation scripts. The 1994 release The Paradise of Death, based upon a radio play, was the 156th and last release in the Target series.

By the time it had ended, almost every Doctor Who story aired on television (save for five; see below), along with several audio dramas, had appeared under the Target imprint. Within a few years of the final release, the Target Books line had fallen out of print, with many of the books, particularly the scarce hardback editions, becoming collectors items. Virgin continued to publish a few more novelisations, but under its New Adventures and Missing Adventures lines, and none based upon televised episodes of the original series.

When Doctor Who returned to television in 2005, it was announced that no novelisations would be published, in part due to the expectation that the episodes would be easily available on DVD in due course. Nonetheless, Penguin Character Books would revive the novelisation format by releasing adaptations of episodes from the spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures; appropriately, the first of these books was written by Terrance Dicks. One novelisation, adapting The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith, would feature the Doctor, appearing in a TV novelisation for the first time since the novelisation of the 1996 TV movie.

The "lost" novelisations
Target Books was unable to come to agreement with Douglas Adams or Eric Saward on the adaptation of several serials. As a result the Adams-written (or co-written) The Pirate Planet, City of Death and the unbroadcast Shada, and Saward's two Dalek stories, Resurrection of the Daleks and Revelation of the Daleks, were never adapted for Target (the Saward stories were at one point announced as future releases, but were cancelled). Years later, the New Zealand Doctor Who Fan Club published fan-written novellas adapting these storylines. In 2012, BBC Books published a new official novelisation of Shada by Gareth Roberts, the first new Doctor Who novelisation in 16 years.

In addition, Terrance Dicks intended to novelise his stage play, Doctor Who: The Ultimate Adventure for Target, but the project was cancelled.

Audiobook adaptations
In the early 1980s, several audio book adaptations of Target novels were released, read by Tom Baker. In 2007 BBC Audio began a new series of complete and unabridged releases of the Target novelisations, giving new life to these old (and out of print) favourites (see Audiobooks of novelisations). In most cases, the books are read by actors who had appeared in the original stories. This series has continued into 2013.

Special distribution
In July 2008, backstock of 27 Target novelisations (and a few Target-published spin-off works) were distributed at random with copies of Doctor Who Magazine #397. These were not reprints but original copies, some dating back more than 25 years.

BBC Books reprints
In July 2011, BBC Books reprinted six Target novelisations with original cover art by Chris Achilleos and new introductions by prominent writers affiliated with Doctor Who or who are fans of the series. Six more reprints followed in May 2012.

Novelisations

 * NOTES: The following tables are based upon Target's numbering of the book releases and the dates of first paperback publication. Up until 1988 most books were also published in a hardcover edition that, in many cases, predated the publication of the paperback by many months and, in some cases, were not published until long after the paperback. The paperback releases are used as the baseline given they are and remain far more common than the hardcovers.


 * The numbering of the novelisations was introduced in 1983, with the first seventy-three books retroactively renumbered in alphabetical order (although not every book had a numbered edition). The books from #74 onwards are predominantly numbered in the order of publication, with a few notable exceptions.

{| !No.!!Title!!Author!!Doctor!!TV Serial
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|

1973

 * 016||Doctor Who and the Daleks (first pub. 1964)||David Whitaker||1st||The Daleks
 * 073||Doctor Who and the Zarbi (first pub. 1965)||Bill Strutton||1st||The Web Planet
 * 012||Doctor Who and the Crusaders (first pub. 1965)||David Whitaker||1st||The Crusade
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 012||Doctor Who and the Crusaders (first pub. 1965)||David Whitaker||1st||The Crusade
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|

1974

 * 006||Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion||Terrance Dicks||3rd||Spearhead from Space
 * 009||Doctor Who and the Cave-Monsters||Malcolm Hulke||3rd||Doctor Who and the Silurians
 * 023||Doctor Who and the Doomsday Weapon||Malcolm Hulke||3rd||Colony in Space
 * 018||Doctor Who and the Day of the Daleks||Terrance Dicks||3rd||Day of the Daleks
 * 015||Doctor Who and the Dæmons||Barry Letts||3rd||The Dæmons
 * 054||Doctor Who and the Sea-Devils||Malcolm Hulke||3rd||The Sea Devils
 * 001||Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen||Terrance Dicks||2nd||The Abominable Snowmen
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 015||Doctor Who and the Dæmons||Barry Letts||3rd||The Dæmons
 * 054||Doctor Who and the Sea-Devils||Malcolm Hulke||3rd||The Sea Devils
 * 001||Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen||Terrance Dicks||2nd||The Abominable Snowmen
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 001||Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen||Terrance Dicks||2nd||The Abominable Snowmen
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|

1975

 * 013||Doctor Who and the Curse of Peladon||Brian Hayles||3rd||The Curse of Peladon
 * 014||Doctor Who and the Cybermen||Gerry Davis||2nd||The Moonbase
 * 028||Doctor Who and the Giant Robot||Terrance Dicks||4th||Robot
 * 063||Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons||Terrance Dicks||3rd||Terror of the Autons
 * 029||Doctor Who and the Green Death||Malcolm Hulke||3rd||The Green Death
 * 048||Doctor Who and the Planet of the Spiders||Terrance Dicks||3rd||Planet of the Spiders
 * 064||The Three Doctors||Terrance Dicks||3rd||The Three Doctors
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 029||Doctor Who and the Green Death||Malcolm Hulke||3rd||The Green Death
 * 048||Doctor Who and the Planet of the Spiders||Terrance Dicks||3rd||Planet of the Spiders
 * 064||The Three Doctors||Terrance Dicks||3rd||The Three Doctors
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 064||The Three Doctors||Terrance Dicks||3rd||The Three Doctors
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|

1976

 * 040||Doctor Who and the Loch Ness Monster||Terrance Dicks||4th||Terror of the Zygons
 * 022||Doctor Who and the Dinosaur Invasion||Malcolm Hulke||3rd||Invasion of the Dinosaurs
 * 062||Doctor Who and the Tenth Planet||Gerry Davis||1st||The Tenth Planet
 * 033||Doctor Who and the Ice Warriors||Brian Hayles||2nd||The Ice Warriors
 * 051||The Revenge of the Cybermen||Terrance Dicks||4th||Revenge of the Cybermen
 * 027||Doctor Who and the Genesis of the Daleks||Terrance Dicks||4th||Genesis of the Daleks
 * 072||Doctor Who and the Web of Fear||Terrance Dicks||2nd||The Web of Fear
 * 057||Doctor Who and the Space War||Malcolm Hulke||3rd||Frontier in Space
 * 046||Doctor Who and the Planet of the Daleks||Terrance Dicks||3rd||Planet of the Daleks
 * 050||Doctor Who and the Pyramids of Mars||Terrance Dicks||4th||Pyramids of Mars
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 027||Doctor Who and the Genesis of the Daleks||Terrance Dicks||4th||Genesis of the Daleks
 * 072||Doctor Who and the Web of Fear||Terrance Dicks||2nd||The Web of Fear
 * 057||Doctor Who and the Space War||Malcolm Hulke||3rd||Frontier in Space
 * 046||Doctor Who and the Planet of the Daleks||Terrance Dicks||3rd||Planet of the Daleks
 * 050||Doctor Who and the Pyramids of Mars||Terrance Dicks||4th||Pyramids of Mars
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 046||Doctor Who and the Planet of the Daleks||Terrance Dicks||3rd||Planet of the Daleks
 * 050||Doctor Who and the Pyramids of Mars||Terrance Dicks||4th||Pyramids of Mars
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|

1977

 * 008||Doctor Who and the Carnival of Monsters||Terrance Dicks||3rd||Carnival of Monsters
 * 055||Doctor Who and the Seeds of Doom||Philip Hinchcliffe||4th||The Seeds of Doom
 * 017||Doctor Who and the Dalek Invasion of Earth||Terrance Dicks||1st||The Dalek Invasion of Earth
 * 010||Doctor Who and the Claws of Axos||Terrance Dicks||3rd||The Claws of Axos
 * 004||Doctor Who and the Ark in Space||Ian Marter||4th||The Ark in Space
 * 007||Doctor Who and the Brain of Morbius||Terrance Dicks||4th||The Brain of Morbius
 * 047||The Planet of Evil||Terrance Dicks||4th||Planet of Evil
 * 044||Doctor Who and the Mutants||Terrance Dicks||3rd||The Mutants
 * 019||Doctor Who and the Deadly Assassin||Terrance Dicks||4th||The Deadly Assassin
 * 061||Doctor Who and the Talons of Weng-Chiang||Terrance Dicks||4th||The Talons of Weng-Chiang
 * 042||Doctor Who and the Masque of Mandragora||Philip Hinchcliffe||4th||The Masque of Mandragora
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 047||The Planet of Evil||Terrance Dicks||4th||Planet of Evil
 * 044||Doctor Who and the Mutants||Terrance Dicks||3rd||The Mutants
 * 019||Doctor Who and the Deadly Assassin||Terrance Dicks||4th||The Deadly Assassin
 * 061||Doctor Who and the Talons of Weng-Chiang||Terrance Dicks||4th||The Talons of Weng-Chiang
 * 042||Doctor Who and the Masque of Mandragora||Philip Hinchcliffe||4th||The Masque of Mandragora
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 061||Doctor Who and the Talons of Weng-Chiang||Terrance Dicks||4th||The Talons of Weng-Chiang
 * 042||Doctor Who and the Masque of Mandragora||Philip Hinchcliffe||4th||The Masque of Mandragora
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 042||Doctor Who and the Masque of Mandragora||Philip Hinchcliffe||4th||The Masque of Mandragora
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|

1978
(Prologue by Robert Holmes)||3rd||The Time Warrior
 * 025||Doctor Who and the Face of Evil||Terrance Dicks||4th||The Face of Evil
 * 032||Doctor Who and the Horror of Fang Rock||Terrance Dicks||4th||Horror of Fang Rock
 * 066||Doctor Who and the Tomb of the Cybermen||Gerry Davis||2nd||The Tomb of the Cybermen
 * 065||Doctor Who and the Time Warrior||Terrance Dicks
 * 066||Doctor Who and the Tomb of the Cybermen||Gerry Davis||2nd||The Tomb of the Cybermen
 * 065||Doctor Who and the Time Warrior||Terrance Dicks
 * 065||Doctor Who and the Time Warrior||Terrance Dicks
 * 065||Doctor Who and the Time Warrior||Terrance Dicks
 * 020||Death to the Daleks||Terrance Dicks||3rd||Death to the Daleks
 * 002||Doctor Who and the Android Invasion||Terrance Dicks||4th||The Android Invasion
 * 056||Doctor Who and the Sontaran Experiment||Ian Marter||4th||The Sontaran Experiment
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 056||Doctor Who and the Sontaran Experiment||Ian Marter||4th||The Sontaran Experiment
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|

1979

 * 030||Doctor Who and the Hand of Fear||Terrance Dicks||4th||The Hand of Fear
 * 036||Doctor Who and the Invisible Enemy||Terrance Dicks||4th||The Invisible Enemy
 * 053||Doctor Who and the Robots of Death||Terrance Dicks||4th||The Robots of Death
 * 034||Doctor Who and the Image of the Fendahl||Terrance Dicks||4th||Image of the Fendahl
 * 070||Doctor Who and the War Games||Malcolm Hulke||2nd||The War Games
 * 021||Doctor Who and the Destiny of the Daleks||Terrance Dicks||4th||Destiny of the Daleks
 * 052||Doctor Who and the Ribos Operation||Ian Marter||4th||The Ribos Operation
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 070||Doctor Who and the War Games||Malcolm Hulke||2nd||The War Games
 * 021||Doctor Who and the Destiny of the Daleks||Terrance Dicks||4th||Destiny of the Daleks
 * 052||Doctor Who and the Ribos Operation||Ian Marter||4th||The Ribos Operation
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 052||Doctor Who and the Ribos Operation||Ian Marter||4th||The Ribos Operation
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|

1980

 * 067||Doctor Who and the Underworld||Terrance Dicks||4th||Underworld
 * 035||Doctor Who and the Invasion of Time||Terrance Dicks||4th||The Invasion of Time
 * 059||Doctor Who and the Stones of Blood||Terrance Dicks||4th||The Stones of Blood
 * 003||Doctor Who and the Androids of Tara||Terrance Dicks||4th||The Androids of Tara
 * 049||Doctor Who and the Power of Kroll||Terrance Dicks||4th||The Power of Kroll
 * 005||Doctor Who and the Armageddon Factor||Terrance Dicks||4th||The Armageddon Factor
 * 038||Doctor Who and the Keys of Marinus||Philip Hinchcliffe||1st||The Keys of Marinus
 * 045||Doctor Who and the Nightmare of Eden||Terrance Dicks||4th||Nightmare of Eden
 * 031||Doctor Who and the Horns of Nimon||Terrance Dicks||4th||The Horns of Nimon
 * 043||Doctor Who and the Monster of Peladon||Terrance Dicks||3rd||The Monster of Peladon
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 005||Doctor Who and the Armageddon Factor||Terrance Dicks||4th||The Armageddon Factor
 * 038||Doctor Who and the Keys of Marinus||Philip Hinchcliffe||1st||The Keys of Marinus
 * 045||Doctor Who and the Nightmare of Eden||Terrance Dicks||4th||Nightmare of Eden
 * 031||Doctor Who and the Horns of Nimon||Terrance Dicks||4th||The Horns of Nimon
 * 043||Doctor Who and the Monster of Peladon||Terrance Dicks||3rd||The Monster of Peladon
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 031||Doctor Who and the Horns of Nimon||Terrance Dicks||4th||The Horns of Nimon
 * 043||Doctor Who and the Monster of Peladon||Terrance Dicks||3rd||The Monster of Peladon
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|

1981

 * 011||Doctor Who and the Creature from the Pit||David Fisher||4th||The Creature from the Pit
 * 024||Doctor Who and the Enemy of the World||Ian Marter||2nd||The Enemy of the World
 * 068||Doctor Who and an Unearthly Child||Terrance Dicks||1st||An Unearthly Child
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 068||Doctor Who and an Unearthly Child||Terrance Dicks||1st||An Unearthly Child
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|

1982

 * 058||Doctor Who and the State of Decay||Terrance Dicks||4th||State of Decay
 * 071||Doctor Who and Warriors' Gate||John Lydecker||4th||Warriors' Gate
 * 037||Doctor Who and the Keeper of Traken||Terrance Dicks||4th||The Keeper of Traken
 * 039||Doctor Who and the Leisure Hive||David Fisher||4th||The Leisure Hive
 * 069||Doctor Who and the Visitation||Eric Saward||5th||The Visitation
 * 026||Full Circle||Andrew Smith||4th||Full Circle
 * 041||Logopolis||Christopher H. Bidmead||4th||Logopolis
 * 060||Doctor Who and the Sunmakers||Terrance Dicks||4th||The Sun Makers
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 069||Doctor Who and the Visitation||Eric Saward||5th||The Visitation
 * 026||Full Circle||Andrew Smith||4th||Full Circle
 * 041||Logopolis||Christopher H. Bidmead||4th||Logopolis
 * 060||Doctor Who and the Sunmakers||Terrance Dicks||4th||The Sun Makers
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 060||Doctor Who and the Sunmakers||Terrance Dicks||4th||The Sun Makers
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|

1983

 * 074||Time-Flight||Peter Grimwade||5th||Time-Flight
 * 075||Meglos||Terrance Dicks||4th||Meglos
 * 076||Castrovalva||Christopher H. Bidmead||5th||Castrovalva
 * 077||Four to Doomsday||Terrance Dicks||5th||Four to Doomsday
 * 078||Earthshock||Ian Marter||5th||Earthshock
 * 079||Terminus||John Lydecker||5th||Terminus
 * 080||Arc of Infinity||Terrance Dicks||5th||Arc of Infinity
 * 081||The Five Doctors||Terrance Dicks||5th||The Five Doctors
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 078||Earthshock||Ian Marter||5th||Earthshock
 * 079||Terminus||John Lydecker||5th||Terminus
 * 080||Arc of Infinity||Terrance Dicks||5th||Arc of Infinity
 * 081||The Five Doctors||Terrance Dicks||5th||The Five Doctors
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 081||The Five Doctors||Terrance Dicks||5th||The Five Doctors
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|

1984

 * 082||Mawdryn Undead||Peter Grimwade||5th||Mawdryn Undead
 * 084||Kinda||Terrance Dicks||5th||Kinda
 * 083||Snakedance||Terrance Dicks||5th||Snakedance
 * 085||Enlightenment||Barbara Clegg||5th||Enlightenment
 * 086||The Dominators||Ian Marter||2nd||The Dominators
 * 087||Warriors of the Deep||Terrance Dicks||5th||Warriors of the Deep
 * 088||The Aztecs||John Lucarotti||1st||The Aztecs
 * 089||Inferno||Terrance Dicks||3rd||Inferno
 * 090||The Highlanders||Gerry Davis||2nd||The Highlanders
 * 091||Frontios||Christopher H. Bidmead||5th||Frontios
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 087||Warriors of the Deep||Terrance Dicks||5th||Warriors of the Deep
 * 088||The Aztecs||John Lucarotti||1st||The Aztecs
 * 089||Inferno||Terrance Dicks||3rd||Inferno
 * 090||The Highlanders||Gerry Davis||2nd||The Highlanders
 * 091||Frontios||Christopher H. Bidmead||5th||Frontios
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 090||The Highlanders||Gerry Davis||2nd||The Highlanders
 * 091||Frontios||Christopher H. Bidmead||5th||Frontios
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|

1985

 * 093||Planet of Fire||Peter Grimwade||5th||Planet of Fire
 * 092||The Caves of Androzani||Terrance Dicks||5th||The Caves of Androzani
 * 094||Marco Polo||John Lucarotti||1st||Marco Polo
 * 095||The Awakening||Eric Pringle||5th||The Awakening
 * 096||The Mind of Evil||Terrance Dicks||3rd||The Mind of Evil
 * 097||The Myth Makers||Donald Cotton||1st||The Myth Makers
 * 098||The Invasion||Ian Marter||2nd||The Invasion
 * 099||The Krotons||Terrance Dicks||2nd||The Krotons
 * 100||The Two Doctors||Robert Holmes||6th||''The Two Doctors
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 097||The Myth Makers||Donald Cotton||1st||The Myth Makers
 * 098||The Invasion||Ian Marter||2nd||The Invasion
 * 099||The Krotons||Terrance Dicks||2nd||The Krotons
 * 100||The Two Doctors||Robert Holmes||6th||''The Two Doctors
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 099||The Krotons||Terrance Dicks||2nd||The Krotons
 * 100||The Two Doctors||Robert Holmes||6th||''The Two Doctors
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|

1986
Alison Bingeman||1st||The Celestial Toymaker
 * 101||The Gunfighters||Donald Cotton||1st||The Gunfighters
 * 102||The Time Monster||Terrance Dicks||3rd||The Time Monster
 * 103||The Twin Dilemma||Eric Saward||6th||The Twin Dilemma
 * 104||Galaxy 4||William Emms||1st||Galaxy 4
 * 105||Timelash||Glen McCoy||6th||Timelash
 * 107||The Mark of the Rani||Pip and Jane Baker||6th||The Mark of the Rani
 * 108||The King's Demons||Terence Dudley||5th||The King's Demons
 * Slipback||Eric Saward||6th||Slipback (radio play)
 * 109||The Savages||Ian Stuart Black||1st||The Savages
 * 110||Fury from the Deep||Victor Pemberton||2nd||Fury from the Deep
 * 111||The Celestial Toymaker||Gerry Davis &
 * 107||The Mark of the Rani||Pip and Jane Baker||6th||The Mark of the Rani
 * 108||The King's Demons||Terence Dudley||5th||The King's Demons
 * Slipback||Eric Saward||6th||Slipback (radio play)
 * 109||The Savages||Ian Stuart Black||1st||The Savages
 * 110||Fury from the Deep||Victor Pemberton||2nd||Fury from the Deep
 * 111||The Celestial Toymaker||Gerry Davis &
 * 109||The Savages||Ian Stuart Black||1st||The Savages
 * 110||Fury from the Deep||Victor Pemberton||2nd||Fury from the Deep
 * 111||The Celestial Toymaker||Gerry Davis &
 * 111||The Celestial Toymaker||Gerry Davis &
 * 111||The Celestial Toymaker||Gerry Davis &
 * 112||The Seeds of Death||Terrance Dicks||2nd||The Seeds of Death
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|

1987

 * 113||Black Orchid||Terence Dudley||5th||Black Orchid
 * 114||The Ark||Paul Erickson||1st||The Ark
 * 115||The Mind Robber||Peter Ling||2nd||The Mind Robber
 * 116||The Faceless Ones||Terrance Dicks||2nd||The Faceless Ones
 * 117||The Space Museum||Glyn Jones||1st||The Space Museum
 * 118||The Sensorites||Nigel Robinson||1st||The Sensorites
 * 119||The Reign of Terror||Ian Marter||1st||The Reign of Terror
 * 120||The Romans||Donald Cotton||1st||The Romans
 * 121||The Ambassadors of Death||Terrance Dicks||3rd||The Ambassadors of Death
 * 122||The Massacre||John Lucarotti||1st||The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve
 * 123||The Macra Terror||Ian Stuart Black||2nd||The Macra Terror
 * K9 and Company||Terence Dudley||none||K9 and Company: A Girl's Best Friend
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 119||The Reign of Terror||Ian Marter||1st||The Reign of Terror
 * 120||The Romans||Donald Cotton||1st||The Romans
 * 121||The Ambassadors of Death||Terrance Dicks||3rd||The Ambassadors of Death
 * 122||The Massacre||John Lucarotti||1st||The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve
 * 123||The Macra Terror||Ian Stuart Black||2nd||The Macra Terror
 * K9 and Company||Terence Dudley||none||K9 and Company: A Girl's Best Friend
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 123||The Macra Terror||Ian Stuart Black||2nd||The Macra Terror
 * K9 and Company||Terence Dudley||none||K9 and Company: A Girl's Best Friend
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * K9 and Company||Terence Dudley||none||K9 and Company: A Girl's Best Friend
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|

1988

 * 124||The Rescue||Ian Marter||1st||The Rescue
 * 125||Terror of the Vervoids||Pip and Jane Baker||6th||Terror of the Vervoids
 * 126||The Time Meddler||Nigel Robinson||1st||The Time Meddler
 * 127||The Mysterious Planet||Terrance Dicks||6th||The Mysterious Planet
 * 128||Time and the Rani||Pip and Jane Baker||7th||Time and the Rani
 * 106||Vengeance on Varos||Philip Martin||6th||Vengeance on Varos
 * 129||The Underwater Menace||Nigel Robinson||2nd||The Underwater Menace
 * 130||The Wheel in Space||Terrance Dicks||2nd||The Wheel in Space
 * 131||The Ultimate Foe||Pip and Jane Baker||6th||The Ultimate Foe
 * 132||The Edge of Destruction||Nigel Robinson||1st||The Edge of Destruction
 * 133||The Smugglers||Terrance Dicks||1st||The Smugglers
 * 134||Paradise Towers||Stephen Wyatt||7th||Paradise Towers
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 129||The Underwater Menace||Nigel Robinson||2nd||The Underwater Menace
 * 130||The Wheel in Space||Terrance Dicks||2nd||The Wheel in Space
 * 131||The Ultimate Foe||Pip and Jane Baker||6th||The Ultimate Foe
 * 132||The Edge of Destruction||Nigel Robinson||1st||The Edge of Destruction
 * 133||The Smugglers||Terrance Dicks||1st||The Smugglers
 * 134||Paradise Towers||Stephen Wyatt||7th||Paradise Towers
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 133||The Smugglers||Terrance Dicks||1st||The Smugglers
 * 134||Paradise Towers||Stephen Wyatt||7th||Paradise Towers
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 134||Paradise Towers||Stephen Wyatt||7th||Paradise Towers
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|

1989
The Daleks' Master Plan'' 1-6
 * 135||Delta and the Bannermen||Malcolm Kohll||7th||Delta and the Bannermen
 * 136||The War Machines||Ian Stuart Black||1st||The War Machines
 * 137||Dragonfire||Ian Briggs||7th||Dragonfire
 * 138||Attack of the Cybermen||Eric Saward||6th||Attack of the Cybermen
 * 139||Mindwarp||Philip Martin||6th||Mindwarp
 * 140||The Chase||John Peel||1st||The Chase
 * 141||The Daleks' Master Plan Part 1: Mission to the Unknown||John Peel||1st||''Mission to the Unknown
 * 138||Attack of the Cybermen||Eric Saward||6th||Attack of the Cybermen
 * 139||Mindwarp||Philip Martin||6th||Mindwarp
 * 140||The Chase||John Peel||1st||The Chase
 * 141||The Daleks' Master Plan Part 1: Mission to the Unknown||John Peel||1st||''Mission to the Unknown
 * 140||The Chase||John Peel||1st||The Chase
 * 141||The Daleks' Master Plan Part 1: Mission to the Unknown||John Peel||1st||''Mission to the Unknown
 * 141||The Daleks' Master Plan Part 1: Mission to the Unknown||John Peel||1st||''Mission to the Unknown
 * 142||The Daleks' Master Plan Part 2: The Mutation of Time||John Peel||1st||The Daleks' Master Plan 7-12
 * 143||Silver Nemesis||Kevin Clarke||7th||Silver Nemesis
 * 144||The Greatest Show in the Galaxy||Stephen Wyatt||7th||The Greatest Show in the Galaxy
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 144||The Greatest Show in the Galaxy||Stephen Wyatt||7th||The Greatest Show in the Galaxy
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|

1990

 * 145||Planet of Giants||Terrance Dicks||1st||Planet of Giants
 * 146||The Happiness Patrol||Graeme Curry||7th||The Happiness Patrol
 * 147||The Space Pirates||Terrance Dicks||2nd||The Space Pirates
 * 148||Remembrance of the Daleks||Ben Aaronovitch||7th||Remembrance of the Daleks
 * 149||Ghost Light||Marc Platt||7th||Ghost Light
 * 150||Survival||Rona Munro||7th||Survival
 * 151||The Curse of Fenric||Ian Briggs||7th||The Curse of Fenric
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 149||Ghost Light||Marc Platt||7th||Ghost Light
 * 150||Survival||Rona Munro||7th||Survival
 * 151||The Curse of Fenric||Ian Briggs||7th||The Curse of Fenric
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 151||The Curse of Fenric||Ian Briggs||7th||The Curse of Fenric
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|

1991

 * 152||Battlefield||Marc Platt||7th||Battlefield
 * 153||The Pescatons||Victor Pemberton||4th||Doctor Who and the Pescatons (audio drama)
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 153||The Pescatons||Victor Pemberton||4th||Doctor Who and the Pescatons (audio drama)
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|

1993

 * 154||The Power of the Daleks||John Peel||2nd||The Power of the Daleks
 * 155||The Evil of the Daleks||John Peel||2nd||The Evil of the Daleks
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * 155||The Evil of the Daleks||John Peel||2nd||The Evil of the Daleks
 * align="center" colspan="5"|
 * align="center" colspan="5"|

1994

 * 156||The Paradise of Death||Barry Letts||3rd||The Paradise of Death (radio play)
 * }
 * }

The Missing Episodes
From 1989 through 1990, as The Missing Episodes, Target published a short series which adapted scripts which were to have aired during Season 23, before the hiatus put on Doctor Who by Michael Grade. A few scripts which the production team intended to have aired during this version of the season remained un-novelised.


 * The Nightmare Fair
 * The Ultimate Evil
 * Mission to Magnus


 * For a discussion of the missing episodes of Doctor Who (i.e. aired episodes which do not exist in the BBC Film and Videotape Library), see separate article.

The Companions of Doctor Who
Although intended to showcase original fiction (see below), the Companions sub-series also included a novelisation.


 * K9 and Company

Junior Doctor Who
In the early 1980s, Target published two adaptations by Terrance Dicks of earlier novelisations in abridged and illustrated form, written for younger readers.


 * Junior Doctor Who and the Giant Robot
 * Junior Doctor Who and the Brain of Morbius

Original Fiction
Target's Doctor Who fiction consisted exclusively of novelisations, with two exceptions.

The Companions of Doctor Who

 * Turlough and the Earthlink Dilemma - first full-length original Doctor Who-related novel ever published.
 * Harry Sullivan's War

Non-Fiction
Target Books also published numerous reference and behind-the-scenes books based upon Doctor Who, as well as activity and general knowledge books featuring the Doctor.

General reference

 * The Making of Doctor Who
 * Second edition only.


 * The Doctor Who Monster Book
 * The Second Doctor Who Monster Book
 * The Doctor Who Programme Guide Volume 1
 * The Doctor Who Programme Guide Volume 2
 * Doctor Who: The Universal Databank
 * Enlarged and revised edition of Volume 2 of the orginal Programme Guide.


 * Doctor Who: The Terrestial Index
 * The Doctor Who Programme Guide
 * Enlarged and revised edition of Volume 1 of the original Programme Guide.


 * Travel Without the TARDIS

Doctor Who Discovers
A non-fiction series of illustrated educational books narrated by the Fourth Doctor.


 * The Doctor Who Dinosaur Book
 * Doctor Who Discovers: Early Man
 * Doctor Who Discovers: Prehistoric Animals
 * Doctor Who Discovers: Space Travel
 * Doctor Who Discovers: The Conquerors
 * Doctor Who Discovers: Strange and Mysterious Creatures

Activity / Puzzle Books
(See also Doctor Who quiz books)
 * Doctor Who: Build the TARDIS
 * The Doctor Who Quiz Book
 * The Second Doctor Who Quiz Book
 * The Third Doctor Who Quiz Book
 * Doctor Who Crossword Book
 * Doctor Who: Brain Teasers and Mind Benders

Miscellaneous

 * Terry Nation's Dalek Special
 * The Adventures of K9 and Other Mechanical Creatures

Non-Target Novelisations
The following books adapted official and unofficial Doctor Who and Doctor Who-related productions, but were not published under the Target Books banner:

Virgin New Adventures

 * Shakedown (adapted independent film production Shakedown: Return of the Sontarans with new material involving the Seventh Doctor)

Virgin Missing Adventures

 * The Ghosts of N-Space (adapted radio play)
 * Downtime (adapted independent film of the same title)

BBC Books

 * Doctor Who - The Novel of the Film (adapted the 1996 telefilm)
 * Scream of the Shalka (adapted the 2003 webcast)
 * Shada (2012 adaptation of the unfinished 1979 serial Shada)

The Sarah Jane Adventures
Novella-length adaptations of episodes of the spin-off series. Note: two additional novelisations, The Nightmare Man and Death of the Doctor were announced for publication in 2010, but subsequently cancelled.. They were later announced for publication in e-book format only.
 * Invasion of the Bane
 * Revenge of the Slitheen
 * Eye of the Gorgon
 * Warriors of Kudlak
 * Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?
 * The Lost Boy
 * The Last Sontaran
 * The Day of the Clown
 * The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith (featuring the Tenth Doctor)

Related entries

 * Target Books novelisations covers
 * Target Books Doctor Who Gift Sets
 * The Target Book
 * Blacklight: The Art of Andrew Skilleter

Periodicals

 * Doctor Who Magazine articles by David Howe in Issue 291, Issue 293, Issue 295, Issue 297, Issue 299 and Issue 301).

Books

 * Howe's Transcendental Toybox by David J. Howe
 * The Target Book by David J. Howe