License to edit? Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels to be edited to remove offensive language

Ian Fleming’s series focused on the spy with a license to kill is the latest book series that will be put under an editor’s pen.

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The James Bond books are getting rewrites before they are re-released in April, The Telegraph was first to report.

The changes were confirmed by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd on its website.

The new versions are being published to celebrate 70 years of “Casino Royale,” the first Bond book.

The company that owns the rights to the novels, Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, had them reviewed by sensitivity readers, Variety reported.

The books will have a disclaimer acknowledging the time period in which they were written and that changes were made to remove offensive material: “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 Telegraph reported.

Terminology now considered racist, which was common when the books were published, was used to describe Black people and has been removed and replaced with either “Black person” or “Black man,” Variety reported.

In some cases, entire passages were changed, according to the entertainment publication.

Edits made to “Live and Let Die” were actually suggested before the author’s death in 1964.

“As the author’s literary estate and now publishers, what responsibility did we have, if any to review the original texts? We consulted with a number of external parties but ultimately decided that, rather than making changes in line with their advice, it was instead most appropriate to look for guidance from the author himself. The original US version of Live and Let Die, approved and apparently favoured by Ian, had removed some of the racial terms which were problematic even in the mid-1950s America, and would certainly be considered deeply offensive now by the vast majority of readers,” Ian Fleming Publications said in a statement on its website.

“We took that as our starting point, but felt strongly that it was not our role to comb out every word or phrase that had the potential to offend. We thus decided to apply the sensibilities of the original US edition of Live and Let Die consistently across all the texts. Some racial words likely to cause great offence now, and detract from a reader’s enjoyment, have been altered, while keeping as close as possible to the original text and the period,” the online statement continued.

The Bond films have grossed a total of $7.8 billion since the release of the first movie, “Dr. No,” in 1963. The most recent film, “No Time to Die,” was released in 2021, Variety reported.

Fleming’s books are not the only series of novels to be edited years after their initial publication because of changing viewpoints.

Earlier this month, the publishing house that produces the books written by Roald Dahl announced that classics such as “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “The Witches” and “Matilda,” were being changed to soften the language. But last week the company announced it would be also producing a “classic” collection that retained the original language after an uproar over the changes.

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