William Books in Order
William by Richmal Crompton contains 42 books, published between 1922 and 2016. The first book is Just William (1922) and the newest is William at War (2016). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 42
- Published
- 1922–2016
- Pages on record
- 2,881 in 11 of 42 books
William is Richmal Crompton's series of children's stories about a boy and the trouble he attracts. Just William and More William both appeared in 1922, and the 42 books that make up the run keep the naming pattern: William Again, William the Fourth, William the Conqueror, William the Outlaw, William the Good. Jokes, schoolboy humour and adventure carry the series, which peaked in the 1930s and reaches a 2016 edition of William at War.
How many William books are there?
William has 42 books, released between 1922 and 2016.
William Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 42 William books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 1Just William1922 · 224 pages · confirmed 1/419222241/4
- 2More William1922 · 224 pages · confirmed 1/419222241/4
- 3William Again1923 · 224 pages · confirmed 1/419232241/4
- 4Just William: Volume 31923 · 1 pages · confirmed 1/4192311/4
- 5William the Fourth1924 · 304 pages · confirmed 1/419243041/4
- 6Still William1925 · 336 pages · confirmed 1/419253361/4
- 7William the Conqueror1926 · 336 pages · confirmed 1/419263361/4
- 8William the Outlaw1927 · 352 pages · confirmed 1/419273521/4
- 9William in Trouble1927 · confirmed 1/41927–1/4
- 10William the Good1928 · 336 pages · confirmed 1/419283361/4
- 11William1929 · 272 pages · confirmed 1/419292721/4
- 12William the Bad1930 · 272 pages · confirmed 1/419302721/4
- 13William's Happy Days1930 · confirmed 1/41930–1/4
- 14William's Crowded Hours1931 · confirmed 1/41931–1/4
- 15William the Pirate1932 · confirmed 1/41932–1/4
- 16William The Rebel1933 · confirmed 1/41933–1/4
- 17William the Gangster1934 · confirmed 1/41934–1/4
- 18William the Detective1935 · confirmed 1/41935–1/4
- 19Sweet William1936 · confirmed 1/41936–1/4
- 20William The Showman1937 · confirmed 1/41937–1/4
- 21William the Dictator1938 · confirmed 1/41938–1/4
- 22William and Air Raid Precautions1939 · confirmed 1/41939–1/4
- 23William and the Evacuees1940 · confirmed 1/41940–1/4
- 24William Does His Bit1941 · confirmed 1/41941–1/4
- 25William Carries On1942 · confirmed 1/41942–1/4
- 26William And The Brains Trust1945 · confirmed 1/41945–1/4
- 27Just William's Luck1948 · confirmed 1/41948–1/4
- 28William the Bold1950 · confirmed 1/41950–1/4
- 29William and the Tramp1952 · confirmed 1/41952–1/4
- 30William and the Moon Rocket1954 · confirmed 1/41954–1/4
- 31William and the Space Animal1956 · confirmed 1/41956–1/4
- 32William's Television Show1958 · confirmed 1/41958–1/4
- 33William—the Explorer1960 · confirmed 1/41960–1/4
- 34William's Treasure Trove1962 · confirmed 1/41962–1/4
- 35William and the Witch1964 · confirmed 1/41964–1/4
- 36William And The Pop Singers1965 · confirmed 1/41965–1/4
- 37William And The Masked Ranger1966 · confirmed 1/41966–1/4
- 38William the Superman1968 · confirmed 1/41968–1/4
- 39William the Lawless1970 · confirmed 1/41970–1/4
- 40What's Wrong with Civilizashun and Other Important Ritings by Just William1990 · confirmed 1/41990–1/4
- 41Just William at Christmas2015 · confirmed 1/42015–1/4
- 42William at War2016 · confirmed 1/42016–1/4
Is there a chronological order for William?
No separate chronological order is on record for William, because none of the book listings this catalogue draws on publishes one; the publication order above is the only order given.
Do you have to read William books in order?
You should read the William books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each William book also stands alone.
Where to start with William
Start with Just William (1922), the earliest published title.
What is the newest William book?
William at War (2016) is the newest William book released so far.
Is there a new William book coming?
No next William book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
William at a glance
- No recent titles
- The newest William title on record dates from 2016, 10 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
- Release pace
- William books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
- Length
- 2,881 pages across the 11 of 42 books with a recorded length, a median of 272 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most William books, 11 of 42, were published in the 1930s.
What the William books are about
12 of the 42 William books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: children's fiction is tagged on 11 of 12. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Children's fiction 11 of 12 books
- Boys 6 of 12 books
- Adventure stories 3 of 12 books
- Amusements 2 of 12 books
- Games 2 of 12 books
- Humor 2 of 12 books
- Indoor games 2 of 12 books
- Jokes 2 of 12 books
- Juvenile literature 2 of 12 books
More books by Richmal Crompton
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Richmal Crompton books in order 70 books
Characters in the William books
The character linked below has its own reading-order page.
- Just William books in order 42 books