Ian Fleming’s James Bond books have been rewritten to erase racial references.
The author’s canon about the 007 “Licensed to Kill” character is due for re-issue in April – marking 70 years since the first book Casino Royale.
Sensitivity readers have been poring through the books looking for offensive remarks.
It’s reported the new issue will include the disclaimer – “this book was written at a time when terms and attitudes which might be considered offensive by modern readers were commonplace.
“A number of updates have been made in this edition, while keeping as close as possible to the original text and the period in which it is set.”
The review was commissioned by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd – the group that owns the literary rights.
It’s thought the change will centre on Bond’s remarks about black people.
The word “n—–”, which Fleming used frequently to refer to black people when he was writing during the Fifties and Sixties, has been almost entirely expunged from the revised texts.
In most cases, this is replaced by “black person” or “black man”, but racial descriptors are entirely dropped in some instances.
Ian Fleming Publications said: “We reviewed the text of the original Bond books and decided our best course of action was to follow Ian’s lead. We have made changes to Live and Let Die that he himself authorised.
“Following Ian’s approach, we looked at the instances of several racial terms across the books and removed several individual words or else swapped them for terms that are more accepted today but in keeping with the period in which the books were written.
“We encourage people to read the books for themselves when the new paperbacks are published in April.”
