The Reference Book Wars pt 10

[SiHart]

There ahve been a few books down the years that have attempted to analyse the show and its related activities and try to find out just what makes Doctor Who, well, Doctor Who. There's been many of these in recent years, but the trend started back in the 80s with the inpenetrable- The Unfolding Text. But have any of you read any of them? If so why not vote?

Your choices today are:















Vote now and don't forget to tell us why!

Si xx

[Lord President]

Unfolding Text - It's the only one I've read!

[Stuart Wallis]

Ditto. I've not even heard of half of them; I shall have to return my anorak...

[Dirk Gently]

Doctor Who from A to Z. It's the only one I've read!

[Rob McCow]

The Unfolding Text: 100 miles up it's own bottom.
Doctor Who From A-Z: Got my vote - it's got the right mix between humour and fact.
Back in Time: Cheap!
BFI TV Classics: Doctor Who: Good, but Kim Newman is surprisingly prejudiced.
Inside the TARDIS: A Cultural history of Doctor Who: Weird.
The Greatest Show in the Galaxy: Don't know.
Time and Relative Dissertations in Space: More interesting from the essay point of view than the Who one.

That's what I reckons!

[SiHart]

Even I haven't heard/ read half of these! But of the three I know, my favourite is Inside the TARDIS, which was a really wonderful look at the series in terms of what was going on within it and outside it. It was a splendid books, well worth a read and one of my favourites. Highly recommended by me.

I also really like Gary Gillat's book, which was obviously written with a great deal of affection for the show and the mythos around it.

The BFI book was slight and as Steve said Kim Newman is slightly prejudiced about the show after 1977 until 2005... not good.

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

Never mind what's the best book, which is the best Copyright-Dodging cover?

And I'd love to know the thought process behind choosing the photo for "Back In Time". "Oh look, there's a blurry picture of Christopher Eccleston wiping his nose. Let's use that!"

Si.

[SiHart]

It's got to be Back In Time's cheap photoshop poor Eccleston shot, hasn't it?

Si xx

[Andrew Curnow]

What an interesting array of covers!! I've only read (or even seen!) two of them, namely The Unfolding Text and Inside the TARDIS. It's true that the former is way OTT, and I suspect analysing things to a degree that even the writers/directors/producers concerned wouldn't really accept as having been deliberate decisions; but I do have a certain fondness for it, if only because it represented a challenge to actually finish the damn thing. Plus the image of media classes discussing the book while watching an episode of "Kinda" is rather glorious ("so what do we think Peter Grimwade's intention was in casting that woman off of the Liver Birds here?"). And let's not forget it gave Ian Briggs the inspiration for probably the best bit of "Dragonfire".

So I'm voting against sanity, and for Tulloch & Alverado!!

[Dave Tudor]

Another poll I forgot about! Ah well, I've not read any of these other than A to Z, which is very good, very affectionate and very accessible book, and one of the more imaginative anniversary books. I suspect (though I'm probably wrong) that the rest all fall into the 'worthy-but-dull' category.