Just William Books by Richmal Crompton

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Re: Just William Books by Richmal Crompton

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Jane still doesn't miss an episode of Neighbours!
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Re: Just William Books by Richmal Crompton

Post by Lenoir »

I wouldn’t call these books cruel or harsh really, although William himself might disagree! They depict life as it was in the thirties and forties. There was some satire and humour but I doubt the satire would be evident to a child reading the books, and they can be appreciated by different ages because of the style.

My mother used to read them too, but maybe not so much as an adult. But I remember her looking at some of mine and I think she encouraged me to start reading them.
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Re: Just William Books by Richmal Crompton

Post by ledzep93 »

I love the Just William books! They, and the Famous Five, were the first proper books I fell in love with (before them I'd been reading Wilbert Awdry's Thomas books and the Asterix comics). I first came across William via Martin Jarvis' wonderful audio books and haven't looked back since, I've still got plenty of William books that need reading! :D
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Re: Just William Books by Richmal Crompton

Post by honesty »

Ahh, yes, the Just William books. They have always been a favourite of mine. William is so cheeky though!!!
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Re: Just William Books by Richmal Crompton

Post by Moonraker »

Whilst perusing the bookstalls on the South Bank, yesterday, I saw and bought a copy of William the Detective. It was a 1949 fifteenth impression of the 1935 First Edition. My main reason for buying it was that it contained the story, The Nasties. This does not appear in later books as it has an anti semitic storyline and has been banned. It is pretty horrific reading it today, but I still wanted the complete collection.

It is available to read online, but I won't provide the link for obvious reasons.
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Re: Just William Books by Richmal Crompton

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

I don't know when that story was removed but it's still there in my 1971 Armada paperback edition of William the Detective.
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Re: Just William Books by Richmal Crompton

Post by John Pickup »

The Nasties is still in the abridged 1962 edition of William the Detective. I wonder which stories were left out of it.
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Re: Just William Books by Richmal Crompton

Post by Viv of Ginger Pop »

Moonraker wrote: 27 Jul 2023, 10:03 Whilst perusing the bookstalls on the South Bank, yesterday, I saw and bought a copy of William the Detective. It was a 1949 fifteenth impression of the 1935 First Edition. My main reason for buying it was that it contained the story, The Nasties. This does not appear in later books as it has an anti semitic storyline and has been banned. It is pretty horrific reading it today, but I still wanted the complete collection.

It is available to read online, but I won't provide the link for obvious reasons.
I have just re-read The Nasties, and my reaction was WOW!

This is what BBC bitesize has to say about the period

In January 1933, leading a coalition government with only two other Nazis in the cabinet, Hitler was expected to only survive a short period as Chancellor. However just 18 months later, he declared himself the sole ruler and Führer of Germany. How did the Nazis consolidate their power between 1933 and 1934?

The date that is etched in my mind is that in March 1934 The Children's Newspaper reported the banning of black dolls and golliwoggs in Germany. The awful events of Kristallnacht were still 3.5 years away, and at this stage it was only Winston Churchill who was bothered about how events may unfold.

Yet here is Richmal Compton in 1935 writing a story for adults and showing how the racism and prejudice shown by The Outlaws would make for poor politics for adults.

Doubtless there were many Mr Isaacs in the country at the time. I guess that his back story is that he had arrived from Germany, and despite his poor English, he used the money he had brought with him to take on a business. In small towns and villages people like him would have been seen as different (think Nigerian!) and with some on the receiving end of the appalling behaviour shown by William & Co. This story would give a heads-up to mothers and grandmothers to look out for such attitudes.

Yet despite their bravado, the boys are culturally Christian, and when it comes to it, despite the opportunity, they know that "thou shall not steal".

The story resolves itself with the Jew showing gratitude and generosity, and the boys undeservedly getting more sweets than they would ever get during the future war years.

Anyone who thinks this story should be banned has got the wrong end of the stick. Just like with golliwoggs! :roll:

Someone else might like to compare and contrast The Nasties with the next story in the book, The League of Perfect Love. Whilst the real Nazis were planning hell on earth, there were people in Britain who's misplaced idealism was to bring back the morning of the world.... and Richmal Compton's humorous writing, through the person of William Brown, debunked both.

Here is the link to my video Good Golly - the toy that fought fascism
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Re: Just William Books by Richmal Crompton

Post by Moonraker »

Thanks for re-titling the topic, Anita. Much better!
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Re: Just William Books by Richmal Crompton

Post by Barnard »

Re: William And The Nasties.
This story has been removed from all reprints of William The Detective since 1986.
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Re: Just William Books by Richmal Crompton

Post by Splodj »

To time it more precisely, 'William and the Nasties' first appeared in the Happy Mag issue of June 1934.
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Re: Just William Books by Richmal Crompton

Post by Viv of Ginger Pop »

Crumbs! So she might have actually written the story a couple of months earlier.

Enid Blyton readers will be well aware of her stories for nursery age children where a moral dilemma is worked through by toys that most children would have in their toy cupboard. (Often the voice of reason is the golly!)

I think that Richmal Compton is doing a similar thing here for adults. When the politics of 1930s Germany is seen through the eyes of a gang of anarchic schoolboys, the politics seems ridiculous.
  • The Outlaws - we don't have enough sweets and the easy solution is that they are in the hands of a Jewish shopkeeper, so let's steal.
  • Stormtroopers - we are poor and the Jews are rich, so let's steal, and then the final solution is to murder.
I'd have thought that this story was as good an explanation as any of the time why Germany was becoming a menace. And humour is always a good way to make a point.

Furthermore, I think it should be on the reading list for those studying WW2 at school.
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Re: Just William Books by Richmal Crompton

Post by Moonraker »

Well, that's a different point of view. I must read it again, later.
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Re: Just William Books by Richmal Crompton

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Moonraker wrote: 28 Jul 2023, 12:35 Thanks for re-titling the topic, Anita. Much better!
We had two "William" threads on the go, so I merged them and kept the title from the other thread.
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Re: Just William Books by Richmal Crompton

Post by Moonraker »

Oh right. I searched for ages before I found the "William" thread - in spite of putting "William" then "Crompton" in the search box.
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