Author Ian Fleming's James Bond novels, the source material for much of the movie series, have been revised, with edits made to remove racist and sexist language.

As reported by The Telegraph, Ian Fleming Publications Ltd recently allowed the books to be reviewed by sensitivity readers, with edits being made to make the novels more in line with the sensibilities of modern readers. One of the most significant alterations to the books involves the descriptions of people of color, with the pejorative term "n*****" -- common during the '50s and '60s, when they were originally written -- being changed to "black person" or "black man" and many instances of racial descriptors being removed altogether. This revision has been taken ahead of the rerelease of the entire James Bond book series in April 2023, commemorating 70 years since the release of the first book Casino Royale.

RELATED: 25 Years Ago, Michelle Yeoh Starred in James Bond's Most Underrated Movie

How the James Bond Novels Were Changed

“We at Ian Fleming Publications reviewed the text of the original Bond books and decided our best course of action was to follow Ian’s lead," the company statement reads. "We have made changes to Live and Let Die that he himself authorized.” Alongside this statement, the publishers stated that they applied this mentality to the whole catalog, removing individual words and changing certain passages to make them more acceptable while still keeping with the period setting.

Some changes can be found in examples like Live and Let Die removing Bond’s description of accented dialogue as “straight Harlem-Deep South with a lot of New York thrown in.” Additionally, the reworking of a nightclub scene that described the audience of a strip show with the passage "Bond could hear the audience panting and grunting like pigs at the trough" was changed to "Bond could feel the electric tension in the room." However, despite the changes, many references some will deem offensive will remain unedited. The article highlights that prose such as “blithering women failing to do a man’s work,” homosexuality being a “stubborn disability” and “the sweet tang of rape” will still be found in the novels.

RELATED: Aaron Taylor-Johnson Responds to James Bond Rumors: 'It's Flattering'

Each revised James Bond novel from the new edition will come with the following disclaimer: “This book was written at a time when terms and attitudes which might be considered offensive by modern readers were commonplace.” It adds: “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.”

This news comes soon shortly after the reveal that Roald Dahl’s catalog of books has been revised to acclimate the sensibilities of modern readers. This would include rewording references in stories like Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Twits. This was received with controversy, causing the publisher Puffin to promise to re-release the books in their uncensored form.

The revised James Bond 007 novels, which include titles like Dr. No, Thunderball, Casino Royale, Diamonds Are Forever and more will be available in April.

Source: The Telegraph