Peter Burns

Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 'Magnificent' Owen Slot, The Times The 1997 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa is one of the most iconic in rugby history. Written off at home and abroad, Martin Johnson's men were given no hope of success against the world champion Springboks in their own backyard. But a...

Skandar meets Oliver Twist in this blockbusting new middle grade adventure series – perfect for fans of Percy Jackson! ⚡️⚡️⚡️ “Top marks” Observer "Utterly fabulous” ALEXANDER ARMSTRONG Shadow Thieves is the real thing” MICHAEL GRANT “A thrilling read!” JONATHAN STROUD “Propulsive pacing and action-packed plotting” Publishers’ Weekly starred review 13-year-old Tom Morgan and his friends live on the streets of...

Shadow Thieves (published as School for Thieves in the US) is the OVERALL WINNER of the Barnes & Noble Children’s and YA Book Prize 2026! “Top marks” Observer "Utterly fabulous” Alexander Armstrong “The real thing” Michael Grant “A thrilling read!” Jonathan Stroud “Propulsive pacing and action-packed plotting” Publishers' Weekly starred review Skandar meets Oliver Twist in this blockbusting middle-grade adventure...

By 1971, no Lions team had ever defeated the All Blacks in a Test series. Since 1904, six Lions sides had travelled to New Zealand, and all had returned home bruised, battered, and beaten. But the 1971 tour party was different. It was full of young, ambitious, and outrageously talented players who would all go on to carve their names...

From 1997 to 2003, England and Australia battled for domination of the rugby world in one of the greatest rivalries the sport has ever known. In The Men in the Arena, William Hill shortlisted authors Peter Burns and Tom English explore every aspect of the teams' journey to the 2003 Rugby World Cup final, telling the story primarily in the...

'A rollicking read and a mighty achievement' - Donald McRae, The Guardian The 1997 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa is one of the most iconic in rugby history. Written off at home and abroad, Martin Johnson's men were given no hope of success against the world champion Springboks in their own backyard. But a combination of brilliant...

Featuring the thoughts of more than 180 players who have represented Scotland since the very first Test match in 1871 all the way through to the present day, Behind the Thistle gives a unique insight into the drama and emotion of playing for Scotland in that most rarefied of environments: Test match rugby. In this exhaustively researched tome, David Barnes...