Target Books/1983: Difference between revisions

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The year was the first one in which the novelisations were released with a so-called "library number". ''[[Terminus (novelisation)|Terminus]]'' went out as #79, with each subsequent release adding on to that number.
The year was the first one in which the novelisations were released with a so-called "library number". ''[[Terminus (novelisation)|Terminus]]'' went out as #79, with each subsequent release adding on to that number.


== Novelisation covers ==
== Stories ==
<gallery position=center captionalign=center hideaddbutton="true" >
File: Time-Flight_novel.jpg | [[Time-Flight (novelisation)|Doctor Who - Time-Flight]]
File:Meglos_novel.jpg |[[Meglos (novelisation)|Doctor Who - Meglos]]
File:Castrovalva_novel.jpg | [[Castrovalva (novelisation)|Doctor Who - Castrovalva]]
File:Four_to_Doomsday_novel.jpg | [[Four to Doomsday (novelisation)|Doctor Who - Four to Doomsday]]
File:Earthshock_novel.jpg | [[Earthshock (novelisation)|Doctor Who - Earthshock]]
File:Terminus_novel.jpg| [[Terminus (novelisation)|Doctor Who - Terminus]]
File:Arc_of_Infinity_novel.jpg | [[Arc of Infinity (novelisation)|Doctor Who - Arc of Infinity]]
File:Five_Doctors_novel.jpg | [[The Five Doctors (novelisation)|Doctor Who - The Five Doctors]]
</gallery>
 
== Reprints and other title covers ==
<gallery position=center captionalign=center hideaddbutton="true" >
File:3Abominable.jpg |[[Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen]]
File:3WebFear.jpg | [[Doctor Who and the Web of Fear]]
</gallery>
 
== Publishing history ==
{| {{prettytable}}
{| {{prettytable}}
!No. || Title || Author || Doctor || Featuring || Based on || Released
|-
|-
!Month!!Title!!Writer!!Cover Artist
|074
|''[[Time-Flight (novelisation)|Time-Flight]]''
|[[Peter Grimwade]]
|[[Fifth Doctor|5th]]
|[[Adric]], [[Nyssa]], [[Tegan Jovanka|Tegan]], {{Ainley}}
|''[[Time-Flight (TV story)|Time-Flight]]''
|[[15 April (releases)|15 April]] [[1983 (releases)|1983]]
|-
|-
|||Reissue: [[Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen]]||[[Terrance Dicks]]||New cover: [[Andrew Skilleter]]
|075
|''[[Meglos (novelisation)|Meglos]]''
|[[Terrance Dicks]]
|[[Fourth Doctor|4th]]
|[[Romana II]], [[K9 Mark II]]
|''[[Meglos (TV story)|Meglos]]''
|[[5 May (releases)|5 May]] 1983
|-
|-
|||Reissue: [[Doctor Who and the Web of Fear]]||Terrance Dicks||New cover: Andrew Skilleter
|076
|''[[Castrovalva (novelisation)|Castrovalva]]''
|[[Christopher H. Bidmead]]
|rowspan=10|5th
|Adric, Nyssa, Tegan, The Master
|''[[Castrovalva (TV story)|Castrovalva]]''
|[[16 June (releases)|16 June]] 1983
|-
|-
|[[April]]||[[Time-Flight (novelisation)|Time-Flight]]||[[Peter Grimwade]]||Photographic cover
|077
|''[[Four to Doomsday (novelisation)|Four to Doomsday]]''
|Terrance Dicks
|Adric, Nyssa, Tegan
|''[[Four to Doomsday (TV story)|Four to Doomsday]]''
|[[21 July (releases)|21 July]] 1983
|-
|-
|[[May]]||[[Meglos (novelisation)|Meglos]]||Terrance Dicks||Andrew Skilleter
|078
|''[[Earthshock (novelisation)|Earthshock]]''
|[[Ian Marter]]
|Adric, Nyssa, Tegan, [[Cybermen]]
|''[[Earthshock (TV story)|Earthshock]]''
|[[18 August (releases)|18 August]] 1983
|-
|-
|[[June]]||[[Castrovalva (novelisation)|Castrovalva]]||[[Christopher H. Bidmead]]||Photographic cover
|079
|''[[Terminus (novelisation)|Terminus]]''
|[[John Lydecker]]
|Nyssa, Tegan, [[Vislor Turlough|Turlough]], [[Black Guardian]]
|''[[Terminus (TV story)|Terminus]]''
|[[15 September (releases)|15 September]] 1983
|-
|-
|[[July]]||[[Four to Doomsday (novelisation)|Four to Doomsday]]||Terrance Dicks||Photographic cover
|080
|''[[Arc of Infinity (novelisation)|Arc of Infinity]]''
|rowspan=2|Terrance Dicks
|Nyssa, Tegan, [[Borusa]], [[Omega]]
|''[[Arc of Infinity (TV story)|Arc of Infinity]]''
|[[20 October (releases)|20 October]] 1983
|-
|-
|[[August]]||[[Earthshock (novelisation)|Earthshock]]||[[Ian Marter]]||Photographic cover
|081
|-
|''[[The Five Doctors (novelisation)|The Five Doctors]]''
|[[September]]||[[Terminus (novelisation)|Terminus]]||[[John Lydecker]]||Photographic cover
|Tegan, Turlough, [[First Doctor]], [[Second Doctor]], [[Third Doctor]], Fourth Doctor, [[Susan Foreman|Susan]], [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|the Brigadier]], [[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah]], Borusa, [[Dalek]]s, Cybermen, The Master, [[Rassilon]]
|-
|''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]''
|[[October]]||[[Arc of Infinity (novelisation)|Arc of Infinity]]||Terrance Dicks||Photographic cover
|[[24 November (releases)|24 November]] 1983
|-
|[[November]]||[[The Five Doctors (novelisation)|The Five Doctors]]||Terrance Dicks||Andrew Skilleter
|}
|}
== Novelisation covers ==
<gallery position=center captionalign=center hideaddbutton="true" >
Time-Flight_novel.jpg|''[[Time-Flight (novelisation)|Time-Flight]]''
Meglos_novel.jpg|''[[Meglos (novelisation)|Meglos]]''
Castrovalva_novel.jpg|''[[Castrovalva (novelisation)|Castrovalva]]''
Four_to_Doomsday_novel.jpg|''[[Four to Doomsday (novelisation)|Four to Doomsday]]''
Earthshock_novel.jpg|''[[Earthshock (novelisation)|Earthshock]]''
Terminus_novel.jpg|''[[Terminus (novelisation)|Terminus]]''
Arc_of_Infinity_novel.jpg|''[[Arc of Infinity (novelisation)|Arc of Infinity]]''
Five_Doctors_novel.jpg|''[[The Five Doctors (novelisation)|The Five Doctors]]''
</gallery>
== Reprints and other title covers ==
<gallery position=center captionalign=center hideaddbutton="true" >
SkilleterAbominableSnowmen.jpg|''[[Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen]]''
WebOfFearNovel03.jpg|[[Doctor Who and the Web of Fear (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Web of Fear]]''
</gallery>


== Publishing notes ==
== Publishing notes ==
=== Target Library Numbering ===
=== Target Library Numbering ===
''[[Doctor Who and the Visitation]]'' was the first title to be given a (working) reference number as part of the Doctor Who library (Number 74). The idea behind the numbering was to try to capitalise on collectors and regular readers of the range to complete their "set" or read all the books.
''[[Doctor Who and the Visitation (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Visitation]]'' was the first title to be given a (working) reference number as part of the Doctor Who library (Number 74). The idea behind the numbering was to try to capitalise on collectors and regular readers of the range to complete their "set" or read all the books.


However, for a range that didn't flow in a chronological order, it was met with various reactions, and was generally criticised by fans, who after collecting some seventy odd titles, were faced with a "new look" for their collection (a factor that the BBC DVD mechandising team seem to be acutely aware of).
However, for a range that didn't flow in a chronological order, it was met with various reactions, and was generally criticised by fans, who after collecting some seventy odd titles, were faced with a "new look" for their collection (a factor that the BBC DVD mechandising team seem to be acutely aware of).
Line 62: Line 99:
: Number 81 ''[[The Five Doctors (novelisation)|The Five Doctors]]'' numbered
: Number 81 ''[[The Five Doctors (novelisation)|The Five Doctors]]'' numbered
: Number 106 ''[[Vengeance on Varos (novelisation)|Vengeance on Varos]]'' arriving between Numbers 128 and 129 (some two years later)
: Number 106 ''[[Vengeance on Varos (novelisation)|Vengeance on Varos]]'' arriving between Numbers 128 and 129 (some two years later)
: Number 153 was given to ''[[The Pescatons (novelisation)|Doctor Who - The Pescatons]]'' which was based on a record release and so technically not a televised novelisation.
: Number 153 was given to ''[[The Pescatons (novelisation)|The Pescatons]]'' which was based on a record release and so technically not a televised novelisation.
Books 1 to 74 in the range were retrospectively numbered, in alphabetical order. These numbers appeared on the covers with the reprint schedule from 1983, the exceptions being ''[[Time-Flight (novelisation)|Time-Flight]]'', ''[[Meglos (novelisation)|Meglos]]'' and ''[[Castrovalva (novelisation)|Castrovalva]]''.
Books 1 to 74 in the range were retrospectively numbered, in alphabetical order. These numbers appeared on the covers with the reprint schedule from 1983, the exceptions being ''[[Time-Flight (novelisation)|Time-Flight]]'', ''[[Meglos (novelisation)|Meglos]]'' and ''[[Castrovalva (novelisation)|Castrovalva]]''.


[[Category:Target Books by year]]
[[Category:Target Books by year]]

Latest revision as of 16:04, 22 July 2022

RealWorld.png

Target Books' Doctor Who output in 1983 was almost exclusively Fifth Doctor-related. Of the eight new novelisations printed, only one belonged to another Doctor. As with the previous year, the first three Doctors were ignored by Target's writers, except to the extent that they appeared in The Five Doctors. That novelisation was peculiarly important to the Target line, in that it was the first novelisation to be available in the UK prior to the transmission of the serial it adapted.

The year was the first one in which the novelisations were released with a so-called "library number". Terminus went out as #79, with each subsequent release adding on to that number.

Stories[[edit] | [edit source]]

No. Title Author Doctor Featuring Based on Released
074 Time-Flight Peter Grimwade 5th Adric, Nyssa, Tegan, the Tremas Master Time-Flight 15 April 1983
075 Meglos Terrance Dicks 4th Romana II, K9 Mark II Meglos 5 May 1983
076 Castrovalva Christopher H. Bidmead 5th Adric, Nyssa, Tegan, The Master Castrovalva 16 June 1983
077 Four to Doomsday Terrance Dicks Adric, Nyssa, Tegan Four to Doomsday 21 July 1983
078 Earthshock Ian Marter Adric, Nyssa, Tegan, Cybermen Earthshock 18 August 1983
079 Terminus John Lydecker Nyssa, Tegan, Turlough, Black Guardian Terminus 15 September 1983
080 Arc of Infinity Terrance Dicks Nyssa, Tegan, Borusa, Omega Arc of Infinity 20 October 1983
081 The Five Doctors Tegan, Turlough, First Doctor, Second Doctor, Third Doctor, Fourth Doctor, Susan, the Brigadier, Sarah, Borusa, Daleks, Cybermen, The Master, Rassilon The Five Doctors 24 November 1983

Novelisation covers[[edit] | [edit source]]

Reprints and other title covers[[edit] | [edit source]]

Publishing notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

Target Library Numbering[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doctor Who and the Visitation was the first title to be given a (working) reference number as part of the Doctor Who library (Number 74). The idea behind the numbering was to try to capitalise on collectors and regular readers of the range to complete their "set" or read all the books.

However, for a range that didn't flow in a chronological order, it was met with various reactions, and was generally criticised by fans, who after collecting some seventy odd titles, were faced with a "new look" for their collection (a factor that the BBC DVD mechandising team seem to be acutely aware of).

The implementation of the numbering system was not always to plan. Examples of inconsistencies include:

Number 77 Four to Doomsday numbered on the inside only
Number 78 Earthshock numbered on the inside only
Number 79 Terminus numbered inside and on the cover
Number 80 Arc of Infinity not numbered
Number 81 The Five Doctors numbered
Number 106 Vengeance on Varos arriving between Numbers 128 and 129 (some two years later)
Number 153 was given to The Pescatons which was based on a record release and so technically not a televised novelisation.

Books 1 to 74 in the range were retrospectively numbered, in alphabetical order. These numbers appeared on the covers with the reprint schedule from 1983, the exceptions being Time-Flight, Meglos and Castrovalva.