This page is about the novel. For the film see Just William's Luck (film). Just William's Luck (1948) was a novel in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. It was the only novel in the series, the rest being books of short stories. The story revolves around the attempts of William and his friends to get their elder brothers married, such that they might become the recipients of possessions replaced by wedding presents. After a series of unlikely adventures, the boys serendipitously foil a gang of fur-coat smugglers, and receive a reward from the police.