A few months ago I wrote about Barnabees Books, in Westleton, Suffolk. It’s a lovely warm place, not only heat-wise but atmospherically, not least because of its delightful owner, Ty.
Barnabees Books, photo by Terry Freedman
Whilst there I bought a Just William book by Richmal Crompton. I always loved those books when I was around ten years old (and yes, we had moved on from scrolls by then), but I was interested to see what made them so good from a writer’s point of view. After all, they’ve been in print for over a hundred years, and have enjoyed various adaptations.
William, the “hero” is an eleven year old boy who leads a gang called The Outlaws, and has an even more vivid imagination than I do. For example, a stranger in the village might be (wrongly) identified as a secret agent.
A short while after my visit to Barnabees, Ty very kindly sent me a link to this radio programme, saying that the person who wrote it came into the shop the day after I did. As she said: connections!
I learnt from it that Crompton was astonishingly prolific. As I wrote in I never have writer’s block, but…
Crompton wrote 37 "Just William" children's books, 40 novels for adults, 10 collections of short stories and Radio plays, according to the Richmal Crompton reader. Apparently, according to the BBC Sounds programe, she usually wrote one book a year, sometimes two, and once six. Six! My immediate thought was: Wow. And I thought I was prolific.
I also learnt from the podcast that the William books were written for adults’ enjoyment, such as by pricking pomposity. I’ve started reading the stories again and have discovered that to be the case. In some instances I’ve laughed out loud. I have also been struck by the quality of the language used, with words such as “histrionics” which are not often found in children’s books.
The next time I visit Barnabees, which will be soon, I will definitely be on the lookout for more William books.