William the Outlaw

Just William #7

by Richmal Crompton

Some words to not apply to William Brown. Sweet, charming, "dear little boy" . . . That sounds more like Georgie Murdoch, who is so sickly sweet that William is determined to turn him into a wild, muddy, noisy outlaw like himself . . . There is only one William. This tousle-headed, snub-nosed, hearty, loveable imp of mischief has been harassing his unfortunate family and delighting his hundreds of thousands of admirers since 1922. Now with a fantastic new cover look.

Genres: Humor, Childrens, Fiction, Short Stories, Classics, Comedy, Young Adult

265 pages, Paperback

First published June 5, 1989

About the author

Richmal Crompton Lamburn was initially trained as a schoolmistress but later became a popular English writer, best known for her Just William series of books, humorous short stories, and to a lesser extent adult fiction books.

Crompton's fiction centres around family and social life, dwelling on the constraints that they place on individuals while also nurturing them. This is best seen in her depiction of children as puzzled onlookers of society's ways. Nevertheless, the children, particularly William and his Outlaws, almost always emerge triumphant.

Reviews

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 3 out of 5]

ENGLISH: Seventh collection of William's adventures, which I have read for the second time, now in English. The first time I read it in a Spanish translation. Some of them are funnier than others.

Most of them are very funny, especially "William Finds a Job," where William makes his brother sit for an artist in a Charles the First costume and introduces him as the village idiot.

ESPAÑOL: Séptima colección de aventuras de William, que he leído por segunda vez, ahora en inglés. La primera vez la leí en traducción al español. Algunas son más divertidas que otras.

Casi todas son muy graciosas, especialmente "Guillermo encuentra un trabajo", donde Guillermo hace que su hermano mayor pose para un artista con un disfraz del tiempo de Carlos I y le presenta como el tonto del pueblo.

[Mariangel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The version of this book that is available in Gutenberg contains only 7 stories, but the print version has 10. The 3 missing stories are:

-William Plays Santa Claus
-Finding a School for William
-William is Hypnotised

The story "The terrible magician" is one of the funniest I have read in all the William books.

[Anthony Buck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it and was really impressed how well it stands up nearly 100 years after being written. Both kids (aged 7 and 10) found absolutely hilarious.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must buy copies of the William books for my keeper shelves - delightfully refreshing.

[Martyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

"William the Outlaw" by Richmal Crompton, part of the delightful Just William series, first published in 1927, is a mischievous romp through the adventures of William Brown and his band of Outlaws. This book, the seventh in the series, continues to regale us with tales of William's unintentional chaos.

Picture this: A young William, armed with the innocence of youth and the subtlety of a sledgehammer, navigating the world in his own unique way. From mistaking a harmless scientist for an evil sorcerer in "The Terrible Magician" to the hilariously literal interpretation of a 'white elephant stall' in "William and the White Elephants", each story bursts with wit and humour.

What truly shines through is Crompton's ability to capture the essence of childhood mischief and adventure. William's escapades, whether it's playing Santa Claus or finding a job with ulterior motives, are not just stories; they are a return ticket to the carefree days of youth. It’s hard not to chuckle when William, in his quest to avoid boarding school, embarks on a mission to convince a headmaster that he's utterly unsuitable in "Finding a School for William".

This book is a delightful mix of nostalgia and irreverence, a perfect antidote to the seriousness of adult life. With its clever wordplay and charming characters, "William the Outlaw" isn’t just a book; it’s a joyride back to the days when the biggest worry was what adventure lay around the corner. So, buckle up and prepare for a journey filled with laughter, a touch of anarchy, and a reminder of the joys of just being a kid.

[Farseer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that this seventh book was particularly inspired. At least I enjoyed it more than the previous ones, although the themes are of course similar. However, the confusion and chaos caused by William and his friends, sometimes unwittingly and sometimes on purpose, was particularly funny here. William, of course, is a force of nature, always impervious to any attempt to civilize him and make him conform. He is not bad, he just follows his own logic and ethics, which make perfect sense to him but are incomprehensible for his long-suffering family and other adults.

[Joaquin del Villar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una nueva entrega de las Aventuras de Guillermo, en este caso, mas centrada sobre todo en Los Proscritos. La historia Jorgito y los Proscritos es la primera que quiero destacar, un cargante Jorgito Murdock que ni su famoso primo aguanta, y da las claves a los Proscritos para su merecida venganza. Buscándole una escuela a Guillermo donde Guillermo trata de esquivar ir a un internado para niños difíciles. Por último Un día de trabajo para Guillermo que es dentro de este libro lo que podemos llamar la historia mas bestia.

[Andrew · Rating 1 out of 5]

Extremely dated, 1927 I believe. An adult wonders whether a woman was the voting type. Depicting other races as criminals. This is apart from the normal run of the mill “depression is an imaginary disease” that we expect. Most of it a good study in how to get a character into awkward comedic situations, but stained with a lot of the grossness of the past. They don’t write em like they used to. And that’s great.

[Curtis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had this as a kid and am just listing it here to have it on record.

I thought it was okay at the time but don't think I finished it, and didn't like it enough to read any more stories about William. I do remember reading the last page prematurely though, which I think may be the only time I've ever done that in my life.

[Pippa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm filing these under children's books, but I can't help wondering if they are really more for the grown ups. Great fun anyway. In this one the parents seem a bit more human, so I guess RC was fleshing them out as she went along. Love the humour.

[banks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to have these audiobooks on TAPE 👵🏻 as a kid and completely forgot about them until I found this in a caf and picked it up. I love it not only is it nostalgic but it’s actually funny it’s simple and clever a nice breezy read

[Janani K · Rating 4 out of 5]

William playa santa Claus, William's busy day and William is hypnotised will have you in splits

[Richard Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haven't tired at all of re reading these after many years.

[Vishvi · Rating 5 out of 5]

great

[Andrii Mykhailov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyable book

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

William the Outlaw

Fascinating to reread these books from my childhood. They were "historical" to me then, and now it's amazing to see what the world was like 100 years ago.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favourite of the William books I have read so far, and I freely admit to both laughing out loud in places and longing for the days of childhood, when the biggest problem one faced was choosing which game to play or sweets to buy.

This book contains two of my favourite Just William stories, the first being "William and The White Elephants" where the loss and later abundance of ladies black coats causes no end of trouble for William and the Outlaws. The second is "Finding A School For William" in which with usual ingenuity William foils his parents plans to send him away to school.

Apart from these stories, my favourites included

"William The Outlaw"
"Georgie and the Outlaws"
"William Plays Santa Claus"
"William's Busy Day"

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who needs a laugh or two, you will not be disappointed!

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent collection of 'Just William' stories and I must say my favourite so far. Only a couple of the stories were not to my taste, but the rest I found hilarious.

Favourite stories included
'William The Outlaw'
'Georgie and the Outlaws'
'William Plays Santa Claus'
'William and the White Elephants'
'Finding A School For William'

Once again looking forward to my next William book, is magical being able to enjoy these marvellous stories and to relive my childhood.

[Rosemary Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

William, man. So good.

[Thomas A Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was given this book as a child, this character is hard to hate.......

[Elffriend26]

The usual William zaniness.