Target Books/1983

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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

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

Reprints and other title covers

Publishing notes

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.

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.