After the Roald Dahl text editing controversy which has erupted in recent days, it is now the turn of Ian FlemingIt is james bond novels to rewrite.

An article from the British newspaper The Telegraph reveals that ahead of the re-release of the Bond novels in April to mark 70 years of ‘Casino Royale’, the first book in the series, rightsholders Ian Fleming Publications Ltd have commissioned a review by sensitive readers.

Each book will carry the following disclaimer: “This book was written at a time when terms and attitudes that might be considered offensive by modern readers were commonplace. A number of updates have been made to this edition, while remaining as close as possible to the original text and the period in which it is set,” said The Telegraph.

A derogatory term commonly used for black people by Fleming, whose Bond books were published between 1951 and 1966, has been almost entirely removed and replaced with “black person” or “black man”. In other cases, the references have been modified.

For example, in “Live and Let Die” (1954), Bond’s view of Africans in the gold and diamond trade as “rather law-abiding lads than I should have thought, except when they drank too much” was changed to “I should have thought of pretty, law-abiding guys.

Another scene in the book, set during a striptease in a Harlem nightclub, was originally “Bond could hear the audience panting and grunting like pigs at the trough. He felt his own hands grab the tablecloth. His mouth was dry. This was revised to “Bond could sense the electrical voltage in the room”. A segment of the book describing the accented dialogue as “Harlem-Deep South with lots of New York on top” was deleted.

In several books, including “Thunderball” (1961), “Quantum of Solace” (1960), and “Goldfinger” (1959), ethnicities were removed. Changes to the US edition of “Live and Let Die” were authorized by Fleming himself. Fleming died in 1964.

Ian Fleming Publications told The Telegraph: “We at Ian Fleming Publications have reviewed the text of the original Bond books and decided that our best course of action was to follow Ian’s lead. We have made changes to ‘Live and Let Die’ that he himself authorized.

“Following Ian’s approach, we have reviewed instances of several racial terms in the books and removed a number of individual words or alternatively swapped them for terms that are more accepted today but fit the period at during which the books were written.

“We encourage people to read the books for themselves when the new paperbacks are released in April.”

Variety contacted Ian Fleming Publications for comment.

The James Bond films are one of the most successful franchises of all time, grossing $7.8 billion. The last film “No Time to Die”, released in 2021, marked the withdrawal of Daniel Craig from the role.