Doctor Who reference books " Doctor Who " reference books are any books that contain reference material concerning " Doctor Who " and / or the " Doctor Who " universe . These cover a range of reference material both fictional and nonfictional , such as programme guides , " Making Of " books that cover behind the scenes information , in - universe books detailing information that was not covered within the narrative and purely illustrated books that showcase a particular artist ' s work . During the 1970s these books were almost entirely published by Target Books , who also published the novelisations of " Doctor Who " . These publications were a combination of behind the scenes or " Making Of " books and themed books , concentrating on " Monsters " or particular aliens such as " Terry Nation ' s Dalek Special " and " The Adventures of K9 and Other Mechanical Creatures " . The 1980s can be seen as the real beginning of " Doctor Who " non - fiction publications , with several large format books being published during this time . Many of these were written by Peter Haining , who contributed five lengthy books concerning the production and history of " Doctor Who " . 1983 saw the debut of the first book providing analysis of " Doctor Who " ; " " was a media text for teachers and students , discussing the narrative structure of " Doctor Who " and the production techniques at work . The following years saw the publication of somewhat odder publications aimed at the growing fan - base for " Doctor Who , " namely " The Doctor Who Pattern Book " in 1984 and " The Doctor Who Cookbook " in 1985 . During the 1990s , the books analysing " Doctor Who " began to be more frequently published . With the range and availability of " Doctor Who " on video tape and DVD , this was a period when most of the stories could be re - watched with ease . The popular Doctor Who Handbook range published by Virgin Books covered each Doctor ' s era in great detail and remain highly regarded as reference works to this day . In the early 2000s books such as Mad Norwegian Press ' s " I , Who " range of were published breaking down and analysing all of Virgin Books ' and BBC Books ' novel ranges and most of Big Finish Productions ' prose and audio ranges . During this time there were a few non - fiction books published by BBC Books , both non - fiction , such as " " which contained detailed information surrounding the attempt to bring " Doctor Who " back in in the 1990s , and the subsequent production of the 1996 TV movie and also the fictional though book the " Dalek Survival Guide " . In 2005 , the production of the first new series of " Doctor Who " produced by BBC Wales saw a surge in the publication of reference material . There both fictional , though non - narrative , works , such as " " , and also nonfiction books like " " and for the first time since 1996 ' s publication of " " , " " was published which contained all the scripts from the series that had aired that year . During the latter part of the 2000s it continued to be a mix of reference books that were fictional and nonfictional , though the fiction - based books outweighed the non - fiction works . 2005 . Beginning in 2005 , and with the launch of the BBC Wales produced new series , BBC Books began a series of illustrated paperback guides to both " classic " and " new " Doctor Who adventures , the first release was " " . Each had a specific theme and title , with a similar cover format across each release . They were lavishly illustrated throughout and cost £7 . 99 ( UK ) . 2009 . Two publications of BBC Books ' themed illustrated guides were released in 2009 .