Peter FitzSimons Non-Fiction books in order

All Peter FitzSimons non-fiction books in order — Australian history, military history, and sports biography.

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 Basking in Beirut 1991 Peter FitzSimons Buy
2 Nick Farr-Jones: the authorised biography 1993 Peter FitzSimons Buy
3 Rugby Stories 1994 Peter FitzSimons Buy
4 The Rugby War 1996 Peter FitzSimons Buy
5 Beazley: A Biography 1998 Peter FitzSimons Buy
6 FitzSimons On Rugby: Loose In The Tight Five 1999 Peter FitzSimons Buy
7 Everyone and Phar Lap: Face to Face with the Best of Australian Sport 1999 Peter FitzSimons Buy
8 Nancy Wake 2001 Peter FitzSimons Buy
9 John Eales: The Biography 2001 Peter FitzSimons Buy
10 Nene 2002 Peter FitzSimons Buy
11 Kokoda 2004 Peter FitzSimons Buy
12 Hitchhiking for Ugly People and Other Life Experiences 2004 Peter FitzSimons Buy
13 Steve Waugh 2004 Peter FitzSimons Buy
14 Tobruk 2006 Peter FitzSimons Buy
15 Great Australian Sports Champions 2006 Peter FitzSimons Buy
16 Little Theories of Life 2007 Peter FitzSimons Buy
17 Nietzsche, Ethics and Education: An Account of Difference 2008 Peter FitzSimons Buy
18 And Now for Some Light Relief…: The Genuinely Funny Joke Book 2009 Peter FitzSimons Buy
19 How Hemlines Predict the Economy: Explanations, Rationalizations, and Theories on Everything 2009 Peter FitzSimons Buy
20 Charles Kingsford Smith And Those Magnificent Men 2009 Peter FitzSimons Buy
21 Mawson: And the Ice Men of the Heroic Age: Scott, Shackleton and Amundsen 2011 Peter FitzSimons Buy
22 Batavia 2011 Peter FitzSimons Buy
23 Eureka: The Unfinished Revolution 2012 Peter FitzSimons Buy
24 Ned Kelly: The Story of Australia’s Most Notorious Legend 2013 Peter FitzSimons Buy
25 More Important than Life or Death 2013 Peter FitzSimons Buy
26 Gallipoli 2014 Peter FitzSimons Buy
27 Gotta Love This Country!: Great stories from around Australia to lift your heart, make you laugh and puff out your chest 2015 Peter FitzSimons Buy
28 Fromelles and Pozières: In The Trenches Of Hell 2015 Peter FitzSimons Buy
29 The Ballad of Les Darcy 2015 Peter FitzSimons Buy
30 Kokoda: Teen Edition 2016 Peter FitzSimons Buy
31 Victory at Villers-Bretonneux 2016 Peter FitzSimons Buy
32 The Great Aussie Bloke Slim-Down: How an Over-50 Former Footballer Went From Fat to Fit . . . and Lost 45 Kilos 2016 Peter FitzSimons Buy
33 Burke and Wills: The triumph and tragedy of Australia’s most famous explorers 2017 Peter FitzSimons Buy
34 Seriously…You Have to Laugh: Great Yarns and Tall Tales From the Sporting Fields, Dressing Rooms and Commentary Boxes of Australia 2018 Peter FitzSimons Buy
35 Monash’s Masterpiece 2018 Peter FitzSimons Buy
36 The Catalpa Rescue 2019 Peter FitzSimons Buy
37 Fair Go, Sport: Inspiring and Uplifting Tales of the Good Folks, Great Sportsmanship and Fair Play 2020 Peter FitzSimons Buy
38 James Cook: the story of the man who mapped the world 2020 Peter FitzSimons Buy
39 Breaker Morant 2020 Peter FitzSimons Buy
40 Mutiny on the Bounty 2020 Peter FitzSimons Buy
41 Straight to the Pool Room 2021 Peter FitzSimons Buy
42 The Incredible Life of Hubert Wilkins 2022 Peter FitzSimons Buy
43 The Opera House 2022 Peter FitzSimons Buy
44 The Battle of Long Tan 2023 Peter FitzSimons Buy
45 The Legend of Albert Jacka 2025 Peter FitzSimons Buy

Peter FitzSimons has published 45 non-fiction books spanning Australian military history, exploration, biography, and sports. His earliest works focused on rugby, drawing on his own playing career, before he expanded into the sweeping historical narratives that made him a bestselling author.

His military history books cover both World Wars with a focus on Australian campaigns — Gallipoli, Tobruk, Fromelles, Kokoda, and Long Tan. His biographical works range from explorers like Burke and Wills and Hubert Wilkins to cultural icons like Ned Kelly and Phar Lap. More recently, he has written about the Sydney Opera House and Australia’s most decorated soldiers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Peter FitzSimons Non-Fiction series?

There are 45 books in the Peter FitzSimons Non-Fiction series, published between 1991 and 2025.

What is the first book in the Peter FitzSimons Non-Fiction series?

The first book in the Peter FitzSimons Non-Fiction series is Basking in Beirut, published in 1991.

Which Peter FitzSimons book should I start with?

“Kokoda” (2004) and “Gallipoli” (2014) are two of his most acclaimed books and good entry points for readers interested in military history. For Australian cultural history, “Ned Kelly” (2013) or “The Opera House” (2022) are strong choices. Sports fans should start with “Nancy Wake” (2001) or the Steve Waugh biography.

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