C. Northcote Parkinson and journalist Ann Fry (1921–1983), with whom he had two sons and a daughter. In 1958, while still in Singapore, he published his most famous work, "Parkinson's Law", which expanded upon a humorous article that he had published in the "Economist" magazine in November 1955, satirising government bureaucracies. The 120-page book of short studies, published in the United States and then in Britain, was illustrated by Osbert Lancaster and became an instant best seller. It explained the inevitability of bureaucratic expansion, arguing that 'work expands to fill the time available for its completion'. Typical of his satire and cynical humour,
Possession is nine-tenths of the law McCoys claimed was their property. It has been argued that in some situations, possession is ten-tenths of the law. While the concept is older, the phrase "Possession is nine-tenths of the law" is often claimed to date from the 16th century. In some countries, possession is not nine-tenths of the law, but rather the onus is on the possessor to substantiate his ownership. This concept has been applied to both tangible and intangible products. In particular, "knowledge management" presents problems with regard to this principle. Google's possession of a large amount of content has been the cause of some wariness