Publication Information
Author: Terrance Dicks
Cover artist: Andrew Skilleter / Alister Pearson (1990) / Penichoux (Garancière)
Publishing date: 15th October 1981 Episode Information
TV serial: An Unearthly Child (a.k.a. 100,000 BC)
Writer: Anthony Coburn
Transmission dates: 23rd November – 13th December 1963 (4 episodes) Fact and Findings
Released to coincide with a re-showing of the serial on BBC2 in November 1981.
Script writer Anthony Coburn died in 1978 and his script was adapted by Terrance Dicks, however Coburn did publish a book of his own called Gargantua, in 1977.
First edition cover price - £1.25 (the first new Target novelisation to break the £1 barrier)
Classic chapter title: The Forest of Fear
Unlike most Hartnell novelisations, this one actually includes the cliff hanger ending to the serial that led into the next story: Unseen, the dial on the radiation counter flickered into life. Like so much of the TARDIS's equipment, it tended to be erratic, and Susan's tap had started it working again. The needle swung slowly across the dial, until it entered the section marked 'Danger'... The Doctor was about to meet the creatures who were destined to become his greatest enemies. Out there on Skaro, the Daleks were waiting for him.
Formed part of The First Doctor Who Gift Set in 1982. The four books that made up the boxed set were An Unearthly Child, The Enemy of the World, State of Decay and Warriors' Gate. The box cover was the artwork from The Programme Guide.
Number 68 in the Doctor Who library.
First published by W. H. Allen, it was reprinted in 1982 (W. H. Allen, non-foil logo, £1.25). It was re-jacketed and reprinted for a final time in 1990 by Virgin. The title was shortened to Doctor Who - An Unearthly Child and the cover price was £2.50. The ISBN throughout was 0 426 20144 2.
A hardback edition from W. H. Allen was also released in October 1981.
A Braille edition of the novelisation was proposed in March 1984. It is not known whether this was ever actually produced.
Unlike most Hartnell novelisations, this one actually includes the cliff hanger ending to the serial that led into the next story: Unseen, the dial on the radiation counter flickered into life. Like so much of the TARDIS's equipment, it tended to be erratic, and Susan's tap had started it working again. The needle swung slowly across the dial, until it entered the section marked 'Danger'... The Doctor was about to meet the creatures who were destined to become his greatest enemies. Out there on Skaro, the Daleks were waiting for him.
For those wishing to read an even more direct interpretation of the TV serial, Titan Books published Doctor Who - The Scripts - The Tribe of Gum (ISBN 1 85286 012 X) in January 1988 and again in 1992. The book was edited by John McElroy and the cover was by acclaimed fantasy artist Dave McKean. Amongst the other Hartnell-serial script books was The Masters of Luxor (based on an unproduced script by Unearthly writer Anthony Coburn).
Dicks penned an alternative take on the scene in which the four time travellers are fleeing from their captors and return to aid the recently wounded Za, in his eighth Doctor novel The Eight Doctors (BBC books, 1997, ISBN 0 563 40563 5, £4.99). While the rest of the characters are suspended in time, the first Doctor reminisces with the eighth and the eighth Doctor dissuades the first from killing Za. Cover Data
The first appearance of the "neon" logo.
The first edition had a red foil logo.
The 1982 second edition had the same artwork and banner but the neon logo was a coloured, non-foil one.
A larger version of Skilleter's artwork can be found in the Doctor Who book Blacklight - The Art of Andrew Skilleter (Virgin Publishing, 1995).
The 1990 edition featured the same cover artwork, by Alister Pearson, as the BBC video release. It was also used on the front cover of the 1994 'Doctor Who Monthly Summer Special'. A larger version of Pearson's artwork also appears in David J. Howe's book Timeframe (Virgin Publishing Ltd, 1993).
The Pearson video/novelisation cover includes the initials RT within the design. These belong to Richard Thomas, who suggested, within the pages of 'DWB', that Pearson contact BBC Video with a view to providing artwork covers for the Who releases (prior to that point they had been photo montages). Pearson followed the advice and the rest is history! The initials were incorporated as a thank you. Foreign Editions
In 1987, the novel was translated into French as Docteur Who entre en scène (this was the on-cover title, although it was also known as Docteur Who - Le docteur Who entre en scène). The translation was by Jean-Daniel Breque, with a cover by Penichoux. The publishers were Éditions Garancière.
It was also translated into German, as Doctor Who und das Kind van der Sternen - Doctor Who and the Child of the Stars ! The publishers were Goldmann Verlag and it was released in 1990. Goldmann released six Doctor Who books in total, Unearthly Child was the only non-Dalek adventure. It uses the David McAllister artwork from Doctor Who and the Keys of Marinus on its cover. Reviews
"Oh dear! What a disappointment!! I find it hard to believe that this book was written by the same person who wrote State of Decay... In my mind, Target should never have adapted this story and their Doctor Who legend left to begin with the excellent Doctor Who and the Daleks."
- Stephen P. Boa, 'Definitive Gaze' (number 1), 1981
"In An Unearthly Child, Terrance Dicks produced a book adequate but certainly not exceptional."
- 'Cloister Bell' (number 5), March 1983
"There would, no doubt, be those who thought that, this being such a relatively important story to the series, the tale would get special treatment from Terrance Dicks, and, as the book has been in the pipeline for three years now, one would have thought that he would have taken the time to make it such. But this is not a meaty compelling novel of The Daemons vein. At 128 pages it is far from that, nevertheless it is a change from the weakly written rubbish that we have been subjected to over the past couple of years by Terrance Dicks. The story is told simply and lucidly, undoubtedly aimed at a ten to fourteen age group, but don't let this put off older readers. It is nicely told without repetition of words, as is the case with the word gaunt in Destiny of the Daleks."
- Jon Manning, 'Peepshow' (volume 2, number 1), November 1981
"To novelize this very important story, the publisher chose Terrance Dicks, former script editor for the show, and most prolific of the Who novelists. Dicks faced a formidable task: the first adventure is rather slow-moving, designed more to acquaint viewers with the concept and the characters than to tell a particularly effective story. The result is rather good however; Dicks has an excellent feel for the themes of Doctor Who, and an ability to write for several different readers at once: the youngster who merely wants a chance to read about his favorite TV hero; the SF reader, who wants an interesting plot; and the Who fan, who requires an accurate record of that original broadcast. Dicks accomplishes all three."
- Patrick Daniel O'Neill, 'Doctor Who' (Vol. 1, No. 7), April 1985Miscellaneous
Author
Terrance Dicks
Gift Set
Formed part of The First Dr Who Gift Set released in 1982. These sets comprised four recently released (or re-released) novelisations in a cardboard slip case. Three of the four books that made up this boxed set were An Unearthly Child, The Enemy of the World and State of Decay. There were variations on the fourth book between The Power of Kroll, The Keeper of Traken and Warriors' Gate. The box cover utilised the Bill Donohoe artwork from The Programme Guide. The gift set had ISBN 0 426 19270 2. In all there were nine gift sets released in the 1980s.
Countries
France
Un milliard d'admirateurs à travers le monde!
Seigneur du Temps, héros de l'Éternité, le Docteur Who connaît aujourd'hui une fantastique popularité. Le succès inégalé de la série télévisée qui lui a donné naissance, la fascination qu'il exerce sur un immense public à travers plus de cent pays contribuent à faire de ce personnage un véritable mythe pour la premiere fois révélé en France.
Pour la première fois, des terriens accompagnent le docteur Who dans son voyage à l'aube de l'humanité' quand les hommes n'étaient que des demibêtes. Parviendront-ils à déjouer tous les pièges de cette terrifiante guerre du feu?
In 1987, the novel was translated into French as Docteur Who entre en scène (this was the on-cover title, although it was also known as Docteur Who - Le docteur Who entre en scène). The translation was by Jean-Daniel Breque, with a cover by Penichoux. The publishers were Éditions Garancière. The book was the first in a run of 8 adaptations, the second being Docteur Who - les Croisés.
Cover artist: Jean-François Penichoux
1987 Éditions Garancière
Germany
It also translated into German, as Doctor Who und das Kind von den Sternen - Doctor Who and the Child of the Stars ! The publishers were Goldmann Verlag and it was released in 1990. It had ISBN 3 442 23626 6 and cost DM 7.80. Goldmann released six Doctor Who books in total, Unearthly Child was the only non-Dalek adventure. It used the David McAllister artwork from Doctor Who and the Keys of Marinus on its cover.
Cover artist: David McAllister
1990 Goldmann Verlag edition