William the Detective
| Author | Richmal Crompton |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Thomas Henry |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's literature |
Publication date | 1935 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) & Audio book |
| Followed by | Sweet William |
William - The Detective is a book in the Just William series written by Richmal Crompton. Modern editions contain ten stories; it originally contained eleven: The eleventh, entitled William and the Nasties was removed from the book later on because, though ultimately anti-Nazi, it was considered inappropriate after the Holocaust (it has been retained, however, in the Israeli edition). William and the League of Perfect Love has also been removed from some editions under pressure from the animal-rights activists it satirizes.
The stories
- William and the Campers
- William the Invisible - William swears he can discover the secret of invisibility, but finds the task more difficult than he had expected.
- William the Conspirator - The Outlaws start a campaign for Free Speech.
- William the Rat Lover - William starts a sanctuary for the protection of rats and even has a Rat Fortnight. But when his costume for Miss Chesterfield's Children's Animal Fete is ruined, they help him without knowing it.
- William and the Tablet
- William and the League of Perfect Love
- Waste Paper Wanted
- William the Persian
- William and the Monster
- A Present from William
Removed story: William and the Nasties - William and his friends attempt (unsuccessfully) to imitate Nazi stormtroopers by driving a Jewish shopkeeper from his business. ("Nasties" is William's mispronunciation of "Nazis".)