Augustus Gloop in 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' (1964) is now described as "enormous" instead of "enormously fat." In the new edition of 'Witches' (1983), a supernatural female posing as an ordinary woman may be working as a "top scientist or running a business," instead of a "cashier in a supermarket or typing letters for a businessman."

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The 'James Bond' series by Ian Fleming -

In 2023, it was announced that Ian Fleming's spy novels would be reissued, without racial references, in time for the 70th anniversary of 'Casino Royale' (1953), the first book in the series.

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The 'James Bond' series by Ian Fleming -

Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, the company that owns the literary rights of 007, hired sensitivity readers to review and remove any offensive language.

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'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' (1884) by Mark Twain -

While 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' is considered by many to be an American classic, others think the abundance of racially insensitive language makes it unsuitable for the modern reader.

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'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' (1884) by Mark Twain -

In 2011, Alan Gribben, a professor of English at Auburn University, published a new edition of Twain's novel, which replaced all 219 uses of the n-word with the world "slave."

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'The Hobbit' (1937) by J. R. R. Tolkien -

After the success of 'The Lord of the Rings' (1954), Tolkien toyed with revising his earlier book to make it fit in with the Rings saga better.

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'The Hobbit' (1937) by J. R. R. Tolkien -

Tolkien began a new version in 1960, which came out in 1966. In the new edition, the biggest change is that Gollum is much less eager to bet his ring on the outcome of the riddle game.

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Several novels by Agatha Christie -

A number of Agatha Christie novels have been rewritten, with racist terms removed and passages of text amended by HarperCollins. These include Christie's Poirot and Miss Marple mysteries.

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Several novels by Agatha Christie -

Vocabulary has also been changed. For example, the term "oriental" has been removed, along with other racial descriptors.

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'Frankenstein' (1818) by Mary Shelley -

The version of this classic novel that most people are familiar with is actually the 1831 edition, which Shelley rewrote and added a new introduction to.

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'Frankenstein' (1818) by Mary Shelley -

Some of Shelley's major alterations included expanding chapter one and splitting it into two. She removed dialogues from some characters and gave more to others. Shelley also removed many references to scientific ideas that were popular around the time of the first edition.

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'Against the Fall of Night' (1953) by Arthur C. Clarke -

'Against the Fall of Night' first appeared as a novella in the November 1948 issue of the magazine Startling Stories. In 1953, it was then revised and published in book form.

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'Against the Fall of Night' (1953) by Arthur C. Clarke -

However, the book was later expanded and revised again and published in 1956 as 'The City and the Stars.' A later edition includes another of Clarke's early works and is titled 'The Lion of Comarre and Against the Fall of Night' (1968).

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'Ulysses' (1920) by James Joyce -

The modernist novel by Irish writer James Joyce had parts of it published in The Little Review from 1918 to 1920. But the entire work was published in Paris in 1922.

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'Ulysses' (1920) by James Joyce -

However, being a controversial book for its explicit references of the human body and its iconoclasm, many individuals and organizations tried to censor and change it. This is why there are many example of it with multiple endings floating around.

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'The Stand' (1978) by Stephen King -

When 'The Stand' was first released, it was 823-pages long. But in 1990, King put out a much longer version, called 'The Stand: Complete and Uncut,' which restored a lot of scenes that he'd removed in the first edition for length reasons.

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'The Stand' (1978) by Stephen King -

King also made a number of changes to the text, updating the story so it took place in 1990 instead of 1980. He also revised several pop culture references to fit the new version.

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The 'Doctor Doolittle' series by Hugh Lofting -

Hugh Lofting wrote and illustrated 'The Story of Doctor Dolittle' in 1920. The story spawned 13 sequels, including two published posthumously. However, in the '60s and '70s, editions of the books began to appear without the previous derogatory language and plot elements.

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The 'Doctor Doolittle' series by Hugh Lofting -

In 1986, an edition of the book published in honor of the late author's 100th birthday was heavily edited to respect ethnic minorities. This was made at the request of the author's son, Christopher Lofting.

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'The Alternate Asimovs' (1986) by Isaac Asimov -

There comes a point in the lives of truly famous, successful, critically-acclaimed authors when they become more powerful than their editors. This happened to Asimov when he published 'The Alternate Asimovs.'

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'The Alternate Asimovs' (1986) by Isaac Asimov -

'The Alternate Asimovs' is a collection of his early work and drafts. It included 'Grow Old Along With Me,' the original version of the novel 'Pebble in the Sky' (1950), and two versions of the short story 'Belief.' It also featured 'The End of Eternity,' a 20,000 word novella that was extensively revised before appearing as the novel 'The End of Eternity' (1955).

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Several of books by John Brunner -

British author John Brunner revised and republished 10 novels in his career. This started in 1963 when he revised 1962's 'Put Down This Earth' into 'The Dreaming Earth.'

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Several of books by John Brunner -

In the following years, Brunner rewrote books that he'd written as early as 1959. He continued rewriting until 1982.

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'Ground Zero Man' (1971) by Bob Shaw -

This sci-fi book became 'The Peace Machine' (1985) after a revision that included more cultural updates, like mentions of contemporary television.

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'Ground Zero Man' (1971) by Bob Shaw -

As the book is about the Cold War arms race, the 1985 reissue made a lot of sense, especially as the book can be read as a comment on the US missile defense system, nicknamed the "Star Wars program."

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'When HARLIE Was One' (1972) by David Gerrold -

The original version of this sci-fi book coined the phrase "computer virus" for a program that runs on computers without permission.

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'When HARLIE Was One' (1972) by David Gerrold -

However, its 1988 version was revised to include more accurate information about computer science. Tech evolves in literature, too!

Sources: (The Week) (Independent) (Gizmodo)

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Several books by Roald Dahl -

In early 2023, publisher Puffin announced that they would rewrite to remove language deemed offensive in several of Roald Dahl’s children's books.

Getty Images

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Several books by Roald Dahl -

Getty Images

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The 'James Bond' series by Ian Fleming -

In 2023, it was announced that Ian Fleming's spy novels would be reissued, without racial references, in time for the 70th anniversary of 'Casino Royale' (1953), the first book in the series.

Getty Images

3 / 29 Fotos

The 'James Bond' series by Ian Fleming -

Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, the company that owns the literary rights of 007, hired sensitivity readers to review and remove any offensive language.

Getty Images

4 / 29 Fotos

'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' (1884) by Mark Twain -

While 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' is considered by many to be an American classic, others think the abundance of racially insensitive language makes it unsuitable for the modern reader.

Getty Images

5 / 29 Fotos

'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' (1884) by Mark Twain -

In 2011, Alan Gribben, a professor of English at Auburn University, published a new edition of Twain's novel, which replaced all 219 uses of the n-word with the world "slave."

Getty Images

6 / 29 Fotos

'The Hobbit' (1937) by J. R. R. Tolkien -

After the success of 'The Lord of the Rings' (1954), Tolkien toyed with revising his earlier book to make it fit in with the Rings saga better.

Getty Images

7 / 29 Fotos

'The Hobbit' (1937) by J. R. R. Tolkien -

Tolkien began a new version in 1960, which came out in 1966. In the new edition, the biggest change is that Gollum is much less eager to bet his ring on the outcome of the riddle game.

Getty Images

8 / 29 Fotos

Several novels by Agatha Christie -

A number of Agatha Christie novels have been rewritten, with racist terms removed and passages of text amended by HarperCollins. These include Christie's Poirot and Miss Marple mysteries.

Getty Images

9 / 29 Fotos

Several novels by Agatha Christie -

Vocabulary has also been changed. For example, the term "oriental" has been removed, along with other racial descriptors.

Getty Images

10 / 29 Fotos

'Frankenstein' (1818) by Mary Shelley -

The version of this classic novel that most people are familiar with is actually the 1831 edition, which Shelley rewrote and added a new introduction to.

Getty Images

11 / 29 Fotos

'Frankenstein' (1818) by Mary Shelley -

Getty Images

12 / 29 Fotos

'Against the Fall of Night' (1953) by Arthur C. Clarke -

'Against the Fall of Night' first appeared as a novella in the November 1948 issue of the magazine Startling Stories. In 1953, it was then revised and published in book form.

Getty Images

13 / 29 Fotos

'Against the Fall of Night' (1953) by Arthur C. Clarke -

Getty Images

14 / 29 Fotos

'Ulysses' (1920) by James Joyce -

The modernist novel by Irish writer James Joyce had parts of it published in The Little Review from 1918 to 1920. But the entire work was published in Paris in 1922.

Getty Images

15 / 29 Fotos

'Ulysses' (1920) by James Joyce -

Getty Images

16 / 29 Fotos

'The Stand' (1978) by Stephen King -

Getty Images

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'The Stand' (1978) by Stephen King -

King also made a number of changes to the text, updating the story so it took place in 1990 instead of 1980. He also revised several pop culture references to fit the new version.

Getty Images

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The 'Doctor Doolittle' series by Hugh Lofting -

Getty Images

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The 'Doctor Doolittle' series by Hugh Lofting -

Getty Images

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'The Alternate Asimovs' (1986) by Isaac Asimov -

Getty Images

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'The Alternate Asimovs' (1986) by Isaac Asimov -

Getty Images

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Several of books by John Brunner -

British author John Brunner revised and republished 10 novels in his career. This started in 1963 when he revised 1962's 'Put Down This Earth' into 'The Dreaming Earth.'

Getty Images

23 / 29 Fotos

Several of books by John Brunner -

In the following years, Brunner rewrote books that he'd written as early as 1959. He continued rewriting until 1982.

Getty Images

24 / 29 Fotos

'Ground Zero Man' (1971) by Bob Shaw -

This sci-fi book became 'The Peace Machine' (1985) after a revision that included more cultural updates, like mentions of contemporary television.

Getty Images

25 / 29 Fotos

'Ground Zero Man' (1971) by Bob Shaw -

As the book is about the Cold War arms race, the 1985 reissue made a lot of sense, especially as the book can be read as a comment on the US missile defense system, nicknamed the "Star Wars program."

Getty Images

26 / 29 Fotos

'When HARLIE Was One' (1972) by David Gerrold -

The original version of this sci-fi book coined the phrase "computer virus" for a program that runs on computers without permission.

Getty Images

27 / 29 Fotos

'When HARLIE Was One' (1972) by David Gerrold -

However, its 1988 version was revised to include more accurate information about computer science. Tech evolves in literature, too!

Sources: (The Week) (Independent) (Gizmodo)

Getty Images

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These books had to be rewritten

From 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' to 'Frankenstein

02/07/24 | StarsInsider

LIFESTYLE Literature

Most people assume that once a book is published, that's the permanent record, and it's too late for any do-overs. But the truth is that just because an author signs off on a book, it doesn't mean it can't be rewritten. Some writers are simply never completely satisfied with their work, and will go back after it's published to make changes. Other books had to be rewritten, with racist terms removed and passages of text amended.

From Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' (1818) to Roald Dahl's 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' (1964), click on for books that were edited even after they'd been published.