Alan Whiticker


Alan James Whiticker is an Australian non-fiction author and publisher, with over 50 published books on history, sport, biography, true crime and lifestyle.
Whiticker writes primarily on matters pertaining to the history of the sport of rugby league in Australia, but he has also published works on subjects as diverse as classical film, pop culture, the Wanda Beach Murders and an adaptation of Homer's Iliad. He is a former teacher and commissioning editor for a publishing company but now works as a freelance writer.

Early life and education

Whiticker was born in Penrith, [New South Wales] on 15 December 1958. He attended St Dominic's College, Penrith and Nepean College of Advanced Education, where he obtained a Diploma of Teaching in 1979 and a Bachelor of Education degree in 1985. He later obtained his master's degree in Education in 1997. Before writing full-time, he worked as a primary school teacher and assistant principal at Catholic schools in Western Sydney for 30 years, and lectured at Western Sydney University in 2008.

Rugby league works

The History of the Balmain Tigers, Sherborne Sutherland Publishing, 1988 The History of The North Sydney Bears, Sherborne Sutherland Publishing, 1988 Grand Finals of the New South Wales Rugby League, Gary Allen, 1992 The Terry Lamb Story, Gary Allen, 1992 Rugby League Test Matches in Australia, Sydney: ABC Books for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 1994 From the Bush to Brookvale: The Cliff Lyons story, Gary Allen, 2000 Hooked on League: Royce Simmons, Gary Allen, 2001 Mat Rogers: Off The Wing On A Prayer, ESM Sports, 2002 The History of Rugby League Clubs, New Holland Publishers, 2004 Captaining the Kangaroos, New Holland Publishers, 2004 100 Years of Rugby League, New Holland Publishers, 2007 The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players, Gary Allen, 2007 Rugby League: 100 Years in Pictures, New Holland Publishers, 2008 The Top 10 of Rugby League, New Holland Publishers, 2010 Rugby League Through the Decades, New Holland Publishers, 2011 Glory Days: The Story of South Sydney's Golden Era, New Holland Publishers, 2011 101 Great Rugby League Players, New Holland Publishers, 2012 Rugby League: Every Premiership Match, New Holland Publishers, 2013 Mud, Blood and Beer: Rugby League in the 1970s, New Holland Publishers, 2016 The State of Origin Companion: Interstate Rugby League Since 1908, New Holland Publishers, 2020 League on Sunday, Work on Monday, Full Throttle Publishing, 2020 Very Tough Men: Rugby League in the 1980s, Full Throttle Publishing, 2021 Tommy: The Extraordinary Career of Tommy Raudonikis, New Holland Publishers, 2021 The Blues: NSW's State of Origin Heroes, Gelding Street Press, 2024 Rugby League in the 1980s: The Power and the Passion, Gelding Street Press, 2024

True crime

Wanda: The Untold Story of the Wanda Beach Murders, New Holland Publishers, 2003 Twelve Crimes That Shocked The Nation, New Holland Publishers, 2005 Searching for the Beaumont Children: Australia's Most Famous Unsolved Mystery, John Wiley & Sons Australia, 2006 Crimes of the Century, New Holland Publishers, 2006 Another 12 Crimes that Shocked the Nation, New Holland Publishers, 2007 Derek Percy: Australian Psycho, New Holland Publishers, 2008 Unsolved Crimes: The cases that haunt Australia, New Holland Publishers, 2009 The Satin Man: uncovering the mystery of the missing Beaumont children, New Holland Publishers, 2013 I Survived Kerobokan, New Holland Publishers, 2014, Anita Cobby: The Crime that Shocked the Nation, New Holland Publishers, 2015

Other works

  • Jimmy Barnes: Say It Loud, Gary Allen, 2002
  • The Battle of Troy: an Adaptation of Homer's Iliad, illustrated by Giovanni Caselli, New Holland Publishers, 2004
  • Speeches That Shaped the Modern World, New Holland Publishers, 2005
  • Speeches That Reshaped the Modern World, New Holland Publishers, 2008
  • Shannon Noll: So Far, New Holland Publishers, 2012
  • The Way We Were, New Holland Publishers, 2013
  • British Pop Invasion, New Holland Publishers, 2014
  • Retro New York, New Holland Publishers, 2015
  • Speeches That Defined the World, New Holland Publishers, 2016
  • The Classics: The Greatest Films of the 20th Century, New Holland Publishers, 2016
  • Classic Albums That Changed My Life: The Vinyl That Made A Generation, New Holland Publishers, 2018
  • Don't Die Wondering: the Pat Webster Story, New Holland Publishers, 2019
  • The Immortals of Australian Horse Racing, Gelding Street Press, 2021
  • Legends of the Track: Australia's Champion Jockey and Trainers, Gelding Street Press, 2023