In 1954’s Live and Let Die, Fleming describes a scene in which Bond visits Harlem in New York. Likewise, in 1961’s Thunderball, the ethnicity of a barman is also removed as is the butler’s race in Quantum of Solace (1959). In the same novel, the race of a doctor, immigration officer, and a henchman shot by Bond are not stated. They note, however, that sometimes racial descriptors have been expunged altogether.įor instance, in the revised version of 1958’s Dr No, the criminals are called “gangsters”. The James Bond literary franchise comprises a series of novels and short stories (Getty Images) The publication notes that in most cases, the word has been replaced by “Black person” or “Black man”. Instances of the racist word have been “almost entirely” removed from the revised novels. Here are three of the most glaring edits unearthed in the newspaper’s investigation… and three of the most conspicuous elements to remain.įleming used the N-word in his writing during the Fifties and Sixties. “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 controversial news followed only days after it was announced that Roald Dahl’s best-selling children’s books were being rewritten to remove language considered offensive, such as the word “fat”.Ĭiting similar reasons to Dahl’s publisher Puffin, a disclaimer accompanying Fleming’s reissued books will read: “This book was written at a time when terms and attitudes which might be considered offensive by modern readers were commonplace. The move comes after Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, which owns the rights to his work, commissioned a review by sensitivity readers of the novels, The Telegraph reports. The edited novels will be published in April to mark 70 years since Casino Royale, the first in the series, was published.

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