Book
According to the Tenth Doctor, books were the "best weapon[s] in the world." They could be handwritten or printed on sheets of paper made from wood (or a similar material) that were bound together. (TV: Human Nature, Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead)
Some books were in electronic devices, like The I-Spyder Book of Earth Creatures. (PROSE: The Last Dodo) Thinking books were books that could be read by thought processes. (PROSE: Phoenix)
Books could cover any topic and be intended for entertainment, record keeping, teaching, or other purposes. Some books were arranged in chapters, which could have titles listed near the front of the book. Some books had afterwards, text written after the main story was concluded. (TV: The Angels Take Manhattan) Another common feature in books was date of publication information. Books could be reprinted, and editions of some books were printed as late as the year 5000000000. (TV: The Unicorn and the Wasp)
Books were commonly, but not exclusively, stored in a library. (TV: Silence in the Library) The process of producing a book was called writing, and the person who produced the book could be called the author. (TV: The Unquiet Dead, The Angels Take Manhattan)
Books as commodity
Books, or rather the information within them, could be valuable.
Cultural relics
The Book of Lies was a rumoured book that detailed the teachings of the Faction Paradox. (PROSE: Unnatural History)
Some books are not just for reading
The Book of the Still was a book used as a rescue device for stranded time-travellers. When the Unnoticed discovered that their existence and location were recorded in this book, they were willing to commit murder to find it. (PROSE: The Book of the Still)
Books from Gallifrey and Earth
Books in the TARDIS library
- Also see the TARDIS library.
The Doctor appears to be fond of books. He has been found reading or shown to be a fan of certain Earth authors in several incarnations. (TV: Doctor Who, The Unquiet Dead, Tooth and Claw) The Eleventh Doctor was spotted reading the book Melody Malone: Private Detective in Old New York Town aloud to Amy Pond in Central Park. (TV: The Angels Take Manhattan) The Tenth Doctor, while hiding in a library from a lupine wavelength haemovariform, called books the "Best weapons in the world." (TV: Tooth and Claw)
Even though he seemed to enjoy reading, he told Amy that he always tore out the last page, so the story didn't have to end. (TV: The Angels Take Manhattan)
Science and Myth
Books possibly authored by friends of the Doctor
Summer Falls was a book by Amelia Williams, former companion of the Eleventh Doctor. Both Artie Maitland and Clara Oswald read it, Clara claiming that Chapter 11 was the best. (TV: The Bells of Saint John)
Amelia's daughter, Melody Malone, wrote Melody Malone: Private Detective in Old New York Town. (TV: The Angels Take Manhattan)
Sarah Jane Smith wrote a book called UNIT: Fighting for Humankind. (TV: Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?)
