The Problem with the James Bond Backlash

On April 13, 2023, James Bond celebrates his 70th birthday: the first Ian Fleming 007 novel 'Casino Royale' was published on this day in 1953. To commemorate the occasion, the Fleming estate is reissuing all fourteen Bond books—twelve novels and two short story collections—including some eyebrow-raising changes. As was widely reported in February 2023, by the Fleming estate itself in a concise statement and by several news outlets, many of the original books have been updated with changes that remove racially offensive words. Unlike the changes to Roald Dahl's books, these new editions of Ian Fleming’s Bond books will not contain any new lines, and in some of the novels, like 'Casino Royale', no changes will be made at all. In the case of the most egregiously racist book, 'Live and Let Die', the n-word has been omitted. While this could scan as an attempt to sanitize the Fleming books, the history of these changes is far more interesting than a literary estate performing some politically convenient self-censorship—and the result could be utterly transformative to the accessibility of the literary James Bond. [View in Browser]( [Esquire]( [SHOP]( EXCLUSIVE [SUBSCRIBE]( [A Journey Inside the Updated James Bond Novels]( [A Journey Inside the Updated James Bond Novels]( On April 13, 2023, James Bond celebrates his 70th birthday: the first Ian Fleming 007 novel 'Casino Royale' was published on this day in 1953. To commemorate the occasion, the Fleming estate is reissuing all fourteen Bond books—twelve novels and two short story collections—including some eyebrow-raising changes. As was widely reported in February 2023, by the Fleming estate itself in a concise statement and by several news outlets, many of the original books have been updated with changes that remove racially offensive words. Unlike the changes to Roald Dahl's books, these new editions of Ian Fleming’s Bond books will not contain any new lines, and in some of the novels, like 'Casino Royale', no changes will be made at all. In the case of the most egregiously racist book, 'Live and Let Die', the n-word has been omitted. While this could scan as an attempt to sanitize the Fleming books, the history of these changes is far more interesting than a literary estate performing some politically convenient self-censorship—and the result could be utterly transformative to the accessibility of the literary James Bond. [Read More](   [The 13 Best Places to Buy Vintage T-Shirts]( [The 13 Best Places to Buy Vintage T-Shirts]( Short answer: online, baby! [Read More]( [15 Pairs of Summer Pants That'll Make You Forget All About Your Shorts]( [15 Pairs of Summer Pants That'll Make You Forget All About Your Shorts]( Yes, you can cover your calves and still keep it breezy. 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