Dave's Doctor Who Collection: Signed Books

In the early days of collecting, we didn't have the internet to help us, so we had to rely on local shops (which only really sold Target novels and the occasional reference book), or we could contact shops overseas. The Doctor Who magazine frequently advertised bookshops in the UK with plenty of book lists and pictures to tempt fans, and one day in my youth (9 or 10 year old perhaps?), I succumbed. The "dealer" of choice was Burton Books, and before long I was writing letters requesting books with surface mail charges, posting them overseas, waiting weeks for a response, getting my Mum to arrange a bank draft, posting it back again, and waiting weeks again for the items to be delivered. From start to finish, it could be three or four months, whereas nowadays anything over 7 days seems like a long time.

One item really caught my attention. It was a leather bound hardback limited edition copy of The Key to Time by Peter Haining, and as a special bonus, it was to be signed by the author himself. It cost (my Mum) about £40 at the time (which was a small fortune back then), and the months of waiting were intensified with expectation, and fear that it might get lost in transit! Eventually it arrived, and it became my most valued piece of merchandise to be treated with the utmost care and respect.

For some reason, simply knowing that the book was held and signed by the author himself made the book a little more "magical". Back then, having something signed by the author was exciting, so having something signed by an actor (or even a Doctor) was beyond comprehension!

Many years later, I rediscovered the magic of signatures, and started picking the signed copies over the unsigned ones for the sake of a few extra dollars. Given that many of these wonderful actors have since passed away, the magic returns as a signature from the past that can never be put to paper again (legitimately).

The Invasion (signed by Nicholas Courtney, Sally Faulkner and Ian Fairbairn)
The Origins of the Cybermen (signed by David Banks)

The Cybermen Limited Edition CD boxset ignited my preference for signed copies of merchandise, and I started to look for events or websites that offered these items rather than looking for just the "best deal". Online stores like Tenth Planet started advertising signing days with newly released merchandise and offered them for sale to overseas customers. A new world had dawned!

Big Finish CD #100: Zagreus (signed by Paul McGann and India Fisher)

In 2010, a few months after my father died, my mother and I planned a trip to the UK to take his ashes to a memorial service with his family. On the off-chance, I had a quick look to see what was happening in the convention world, and was excited to discover that all five surviving "classic Doctors" would be at a conference in London at the time we would be there. This would be my first convention, and possibly the best I would ever attend, and would be a happy bonus to an otherwise sombre trip. [Time Quest 2: Day 1, Day 2]

It truly was an exciting occasion, and despite my trying hard to remain cool in front of my heroes, I'm sure I looked like a blithering idiot. Nevertheless, I met, talked to, and had photos taken with as many stars as I could, plus I got autographs! Before I arrived, I bought a sonic screwdriver which included "A Journal of Impossible Things", which seemed poignant at the time, and it was signed by everyone there. On top of that, we bought some photos, books and CDs which we also got signed.


Look Who's Talking (signed by Colin Baker)	Bernice Summerfield : The Inside Story (signed by Lisa Bowerman and Jamie Robertson)


Love Songs for the Shy and Cynical (signed by Robert Shearman)	Sherlock Holmes: The Last Act (signed by Nick Briggs)

After listening to the personal lives of these stars, I started looking around for autobiographies, and as luck would have it, Hirst Books and Fantom Publishing were starting to sell them along with limited edition signed copies! They cost a little more (especially with postage added in), but they are completely worth it in my mind.