<DIV><p>In August 1905 a party of young men took ship for England. Among them: four farmers, two bootmakers, and a boatbuilder. They set out from Auckland, never dreaming they would conquer the world. They were bound for fame.</p><p>From the Booker Prize-shortlisted author of <I>Mister Pip</I> comes an utterly extraordinary novel about the New Zealand rugby team's 1905 tour of Europe. In this singular melding of history and imagination, Lloyd Jones has created a work of great beauty and purity?a journey from innocence to celebrity; a story of loss and return.</p><p><B>Lloyd Jones</B> was born in New Zealand in 1955. His best-selling novel <I>Mister Pip</I> won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize in 2007 and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Jones is the author of a further twelve books, including the multi-award-winning <I>Book of Fame</I>.</p></DIV>