Reference Books

I notice on the most commonly shared list that it's mostly reference books, so which are your favourites?

My first edition of AHistory is not only heavily thumbed but filled with post-it notes, with The Discontinuity Guide close behind. The About Time range are fun for arguments and I've got the I, Who guides to the Who novels so that I can remember what happened in which.

I like David J Howe's Doctor by Doctor books but they are too heavily production based for me.

the only Who reference book I've read cover-to-cover is Script Doctor by Andrew Cartmel, which I thought was an entertaining memoir but not particularly informative. I'm enjoying leafing through the About Time series and reading about stories as I watch them (or listen to them, in the case of the early "missing" episodes) - similarly I've enjoyed Big Finish's Inside Story and I hope they do a second volume once they reach Story #100.

I'd recommend Who's Next, but then I would, wouldn't I? Probably not for the most hardcore fans, we like to think of it as a useful guide to the series for newcomers.

Shameless!

And he hasn't even got his LT Author badge yet.

I liked the fan version of Timelink, and it's being redone by Telos this year, so that'll be worth looking out for.

The Howe-Stammers-Walker stuff is about as good as it's possible to get, I think. I don't think there's another series that's got such a wealth of behind the scenes stuff.

Yes, the TV Companion and Discontinuity Guide are what I usually turn to when rewatching an old story.

John

The Discontinuity Guide is the one I'll turn to purely for pleasure - usually these days if I've just re-watched a story.

When I was researching an article on the 40th anniversary for the BSFA's magazine Vector I found Doctor Who: The Television Companion very useful for pure information checking and also for some of those things I didn't know I didn't know!