The Visual Dictionary (reference book)

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The Visual Dictionary (reference book) was an illustrated guide to BBC Wales Doctor Who. As of January 2015, three editions had been published. The inaugural edition was published coincident with the broadcast of Smith and Jones in 2007. A revised edition was released in Matt Smith's first year as the Eleventh Doctor, and a second revised edition was released following Peter Capaldi's first year as the Twelfth Doctor.

2007 edition

The first edition of The Visual Dictionary focused mainly on the first two years of BBC Wales Doctor Who, examing the Ninth Doctor and the early days of the Tenth Doctor.

Chapters

(Featuring artwork by Peter McKinstry)
(Featuring artwork by Peter McKinstry)
(Featuring artwork by John Maloney)
(Featuring artwork by Richard Bonson)

Notable features

  • This well-illustrated hardback volume, complete with an embedded blue glass Dalek eye on the cover, conforms to the publisher (Dorling Kindersley)'s usual high standard of visual guides, offering annotated and cut-away photographs/illustrations throughout.
  • The attention to detail is impressive, even including the exhibits in Henry van Statten's collection.
  • The fold-out "Inside the TARDIS" pages are themselves stunning and, for the first time ever, reveal the concept drawings of the whole TARDIS in all its sceptre-shaped glory, and include the "Nerve Centre" (aka console) layout.
  • Tardis cross-section by Peter McKinstry

    Tardis cross-section by Peter McKinstry

  • Console room cross-section by Peter McKinstry

    Console room cross-section by Peter McKinstry

2009 edition


This US edition of The Visual Dictionary was updated and expanded to cover the first four years of BBC Wales Doctor Who, examining the Ninth and Tenth Doctors.

Chapters

(Featuring artwork by Peter McKinstry)
(Featuring artwork by John Maloney)
(Featuring artwork by Richard Bonson)

Notable features Edit

  • This updated and expanded hardback volume conforms to the publisher (Dorling Kindersley)'s usual high standard of visual guides, offering annotated and cut-away photographs/illustrations throughout.
  • The attention to detail is impressive, even including the exhibits in Henry van Statten's collection.
  • The fold-out "Inside the TARDIS" pages depict the 10th Doctor's TARDIS interior's console room layout.

2010 edition

The second edition was a greatly expanded illustrated guide to Doctor Who — from its return in 2005, up to and including the Eleventh Doctor's first series.

Chapters

featuring illustration by Lee Binding
featuring illustration by Peter McKinstry
featuring illustration by James Southall
featuring illustration by John Malony
featuring illustration by Richard Bonson
featuring illustration by Peter McKinstry

Notable features

  • Following the format of the previous edition, this well-illustrated hardback volume, conforms to the publisher (Dorling Kindersley)'s usual high standard of visual guides, offering annotated and cut-away photographs/illustrations throughout.

Notes

  • Reproducing some of the content from Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary first published in 2007, this expanded edition is fully updated to include all stories up to the end of Series 5.
  • Topics from the first release whose references are significantly reduced include Jackie Tyler, Pete Tyler, Abzorbaloff, Van Statten's Vault, Nanogenes, John Lumic, Parallel Worlds, Robotic mercenaries, and the Last Great Time War.
  • On the Master's entry it is stated that John Simm portrayed the seventeenth form of the Master. It could be noted that at the time Alex Macqueen and Titan comics' "Asian child" incarnations were not introduced yet.

2014 edition

A new volume billed The Visual Dictionary: Updated and Expanded was released in 2014, this time covering Doctor Who up to and including the seventh series and the Twelfth Doctor. The book comes with a lenticular cover picture consisting of the 12th Doctor in front of the TARDIS with open doors, the 12th Doctor vanishing in a flash of light in front of the TARDIS with open doors, and the TARDIS with closed doors and its top light turned on.

Chapters

featuring illustration by Peter McKinstry
featuring illustration by James Southall
featuring illustration by John Malony
featuring illustration by Richard Bonson
featuring illustration by Peter McKinstry

Notable features

  • Following the format of the previous edition, this well-illustrated hardback volume, conforms to the publisher (Dorling Kindersley)'s usual high standard of visual guides, offering annotated and cut-away photographs/illustrations throughout.

Notes

  • Reproducing some of the content from Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary first published in 2010, this updated and expanded edition includes all stories up to the end of series 7.

2015 edition

This is a US hardcover omnibus edition renamed to The Complete Visual Collection released in 2015. This is essentially the same as the 2014 edition with a different cover, plus it incorporates the complete contents of Doctor Who: Character Encyclopedia Update Edition from 2015 into one volume. It is back to the same size as the original hardcover 8 3/8" x 10". It spans series 1-7 featuring the then current Twelfth Doctor.

Chapters

featuring illustration by Peter McKinstry
featuring illustration by James Southall
featuring illustration by John Malony
featuring illustration by Richard Bonson
featuring illustration by Peter McKinstry

The Doctor Who Character Encyclopedia continues at this point in the book with its title page followed by its table of contents. Its entries consist of all 13 Doctors (the first 12 plus the War Doctor) and more than 200 companions, friends, and foes throughout the entire history of Doctor Who up to, and including, Series 7. It's packed with fascinating facts and statistics for characters from the Abzorbaloff to the Zygons, and with large cut-out poses and stunning stills from the programme. It is the ultimate compendium of Doctor Who characters.

Contents

This section of the book covers a wealth of characters. Most are given a full page spread with colour-coded pages denoting the subject's categories. Namely;

  • Index
  • Acknowledgments

Notable features

  • There is a sleeve on the inside front cover containing a limited edition print depicting all of the modern era Doctors and their companions.

Notes

  • Reproducing some of the content from Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary first published in 2010, this newer edition includes all stories up to the end of Series 7.


2015 edition

This is a US softcover edition renamed back to The Visual Dictionary released in 2015. This is essentially the same as the 2014 edition with a different cover and slightly smaller measuring only 10 1/8" x 12". It spans series 1-7 featuring the then current Twelfth Doctor.

Chapters

featuring illustration by Peter McKinstry
featuring illustration by James Southall
featuring illustration by John Malony
featuring illustration by Richard Bonson
featuring illustration by Peter McKinstry

Notable features

  • Following the format of the previous edition, this well-illustrated softback volume, conforms to the publisher (Dorling Kindersley)'s usual high standard of visual guides, offering annotated and cut-away photographs/illustrations throughout.

Notes

  • Reproducing some of the content from Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary first published in 2010, this newer edition includes all stories up to the end of Series 7.
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