Books - Just William

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	Books - Just William

Just William is the first book of children's short stories about William Brown written by Richmal Crompton, published in 1922. Just William is also sometimes used as a title for the series as a whole, and is also the name of various television, film and radio adaptations of the books. The William stories first appeared in Home and Happy Mag..

William Goes to the Pictures
William the Intruder
William Below Stairs
The Fall of the Idol
The Show
A Question of Grammar
William Joins the Band of Hope
The Outlaws
William and White Satin
William's New Year's Day
The Best Laid Plans
"Jumble"

Characters

William is an eleven year old boy, eternally scruffy and frowning. William and his friends, Douglas, Henry and Ginger, call themselves the Outlaws, and meet at the old barn in Farmer Jenks' field. The Outlaws are sworn enemies of the Hubert Laneites with whom they frequently clash.

William's family, his grown up red-haired sister Ethel and brother Robert, caring mother and stern father, and never ending supply of elderly aunts cannot understand William. Only his mother has any sympathy for him.

Other recurring characters include Violet Elizabeth Bott, lisping spoilt daughter of the local aristocracy ("I'll thcream and thcream 'till I'm thick - I can, you know") and Joan, the dark haired girl for whom William has a soft spot (sometimes she is described as a member of the Outlaws - the only girl entitled to this high privilege).

William is adventurous, imaginative and a romantic. He writes stories - The Tale of The Bloody Hand and likes to perform drama. He is fond of white rats, Bull's Eyes, football and cricket.

Plots

A William story often starts when William or the Outlaws set out to do something - put on a play, collect scrap metal for the war effort, look after Violet for example. William always manages to get into trouble with his parents, although he can never see why. Often his well meaning efforts result in broken windows and hysterics among Mrs. Brown's friends.

Sometimes William can be very moral - he is inspired to tell the truth for the duration of Christmas day in William's Truthful Christmas (Still William, 1952) with terrible results;

"Did you like the book and instruments that Uncle and I gave you?" said Aunt Emma brightly.
"No," said William gloomily and truthfully. "I'm not int'rested in Church History an' I've got something like those at school. Not that I'd want 'em," he added hastily, "if I hadn't em."
"William!" screamed Mrs. Brown in horror. "How can you be so ungrateful!"
"I'm not ungrateful," explained William wearily.
"I'm only being truthful...

Illustrations

All the William books until William and the Witch published in 1964 were illustrated by Thomas Henry in ink, with water colour illustrations for the front covers. After Henry's death in 1962, Henry Ford and Lunt Roberts (who had previously illustrated her Jimmy books) continued in his style.

Other William Books

Crompton continued to write William books right up until her death with the last, William the Lawless, being published posthumously in 1970.

The publication dates are for the UK.

Just William, 1922
More William, 1922
William Again, 1923
William The Fourth, 1924
Still William, 1925
William the Conqueror, 1926
William The Outlaw, 1927
William In Trouble, 1927
William The Good, 1928
William (book), 1929
William The Bad, 1930
William's Happy Days, 1930
William's Crowded Hours, 1931
William The Pirate, 1932
William The Rebel, 1933
William The Gangster, 1934
William The Detective, 1935
Sweet William, 1936
William The Showman, 1937
William The Dictator, 1938
William and Air Raid Precautions, 1939 (also published as William's Bad Resolutions, 1956)
William and the Evacuees, 1940 (also published as William and the Film Star, 1956)
William Does His Bit, 1941
William Carries On, 1942
William and the Brains Trust, 1945
Just William's Luck, 1948
William the Bold, 1950
William and the Tramp, 1952
William and the Moon Rocket, 1954
William and the Space Animal, 1956
William's Television Show, 1958
William the Explorer, 1960
William's Treasure Trove, 1962
William and the Witch, 1964
William and the Pop Singers, 1965
William the Ancient Briton,1965
William and the Masked Ranger, 1966
William the Superman, 1968
William the Lawless, 1970

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