That's interesting. I actually think a pretty heavily annotated version in the manner you describe, with a good amount of contextual stuff written by some Fleming experts - a bit like a commentary track on a Blu Ray- could be quite a good luxury edition of the Fleming novels that they could sell. I might well go for something like that, whereas I'm unlikely to go for these reprints just because I don't need another version of the novels, unless they have incredible new cover art (and the US covers they've shown off do not suggest that they do)
The Folio Society editions are tops for me. They’re expensive, but well worth it. Especially now. I’ve resolved to pick one up every 2-3 months until I have them all.
Just to clarify that "sensitivity readers" as a term refers to readers in the employ of the publishers of the works of Ian Fleming (and Roald Dahl and no doubt soon to be other classic authors) who go through the original texts and edit or censor them according to what they perceive as the social and ethical mores of the contemporary time. Here's an article from The Spectator magazine dated 10 July 2021 which goes into more detail on this more recent publishing phenomenon:
thanks for finding and posting this article @Silhouette Man , it makes this discussion a bit clearer
This job description seems quite benign, even positive, at least with newly published books. Fleming himself sought others input to get the details more authentic before publishing. I'm not sure he consulted with any Black Americans before publishing Live and Let Die however.
For older books, on the other hand, especially Classics, the original text should be available. Maybe alternative texts for target audiences, so long as the original is also available (were there not children's editions of Flemings books at one time? if so I'm sure they would've left a lot out)
I was thinking about Mickey Spillane, whose first half dozen books I read last year. Now there is an objectionable author, though that's all part of the fun of reading his books. in Amis's Bond Dossier he compares the two authors, to clear Fleming of the Sadism charge by pointing to another then popular author who is much more sadistic. Thing is, Spillane is mostly forgotten today. Whereas Fleming is not, largely because of the success of the films, Whether or not his contemporaries thought his books qualified as literature or trash, I think into the future they will be capital L Literature simply because they will still be known and talked about. And for that reason alone the original texts should be available.
sorry, did not read all the contributions made by fellow members.
Is Ian Fleming Publications doing this by its initiative (just under pressure or to satisfy those "sensitivity characters") or is complying to a federal or government authority ?
Personally I would be surprised if 'original text' versions don't appear at some point in the near future, perhaps in more of a reference/historical style, purely because IFP are publishing these themselves and probably need product lines!
The kids ones are rather fascinating: I only heard about them for the first time recently. Surprised I never came across any and I must admit I'd be curious to have a flick through.
I've got one, Dr No. It's a bit strange to read knowing how the original text is.
Edit- I have GF as well. They're both much shorter than the originals with large chunks simply omitted. They're both up in the attic at the moment, along with a lot of other Bond stuff.
After finding out about this this morning and then dealing with all the angry feelings it caused, I went around to all the used book stores in my area to grab all the Bond books I could find. The last place I went had a stack of basically brand new 2012 paperbacks. So I ended up with doubles.
I'm leaving on a work trip this weekend for a month, but if anyone in the US is having trouble finding copies of unedited books let me know and I can send off the doubles at cost. Also, the great bookstore I went to last still had a stack of older copies on the shelf.
Any post-2000 Penguin editions of Fleming, whether found in the UK and America, will have the original texts. That also goes for the Thomas & Mercer editions. I wasn't going to buy IFP's new edition anyway, since I already have two complete sets of the books (both Penguin), and I will be staying away from anything IFP publishes in the near future, unless it's something super-rare like Fleming's Moonraker script.
Because my written English is not good enough to enjoy the written books I've listened to the Ian Fleming audio books each several times. The references have yet to offend me (and I am the 'target audience' for those who are assuming what people should or should not be offended about).
If James Bond offends you it is best that you don't read the books or watch the films. Learn to be your own censor don't censor everyone else.
I hit up 5 used bookstores in my area and out of the first 4, I walked away with 3 books. I was able to get 2 more because one store was a chain and I ordered all available books they had, just the 2.
The 5th store I went to was in Lincoln, CA. It's a smaller town with a lot less through traffic. I'm thinking that's why they had so many more Bond books than the other stores.
But if nobody wants them, I don't really care. It'll save me a trip to the post office. I was just trying to be helpful.
I didn't get all the Bond books in the world. But there will be people thinking of doing what I did with the intent of selling at a higher price later. I left some out for those ****, and you, so don't worry.
Ah, you're near Roseville. I had a cousin there but he passed away last Thanksgiving. I grew up in the Sacramento area and used to visit Beers Books and Time Tested Books in downtown. There was also a regional chain called the Bookworm where I bought my first used Flemings. I bought my first new ones at Crown Books and Borders but those have gone to the great shopping mall in the sky. Nowadays there's a pretty good national chain called Half Price Books and I often see used Flemings there. And of course there are plenty of places to look online, like Abebooks, Alibris, Biblio, etc.
I am in Roseville! But I had to head to Citrus Heights to find most of the areas used bookstores, including Half Price Books. Super cool store. I bought the only Bond they had in stock and the 2 Books they had available to ship from the entire chain. It was a bust for the purposes of Bond books, but I'll be heading back with my son to check out the rest of the store 👍🏻
They should read the book: " No More Mr. Nice Guy" by Dr. Robert Glover.
I am from Latin America. I haven't found anything that bothers me in the 5 or 6 book from Ian Fleming that I've read so far.
In Germany they have annotated versions of Mein Kampf. and even in that extreme case I think is counterproductive.
The Orwellian quotes seem opportune. Ministry of Truth in full swing. But the worst is that it's not imposed by a SPECTRE type organization but by the editors themselves. Nice Guys.
The wrong thread to mention it perhaps, but they've revealed the covers and I think they're rather lovely. Really nice colour palettes and very stylish.
They're much better than the new American designs, and they incorporate motifs from the books rather than the movies, which shows thought went into them. If only the interiors were as problem-free as the exteriors.
Nice Post re: the new covers. No need to 'censor' those. TMWTGG is a bit obscure and LALD fairly generic, otherwise a good selection. As said, pity about the interior changes...
Some alright covers (if a bit generic), and probably would have been okay for a standard re-edition run, but I'm disappointed that this is what's been created for the 70th anniversary. They could have done much better IMO.
I was all set and excited to buy the new 70th Anniversary editions but not going anywhere near them now, due to the revised text.
Comments
Thanks for that link, SM, it was a very interesting read.
That's interesting. I actually think a pretty heavily annotated version in the manner you describe, with a good amount of contextual stuff written by some Fleming experts - a bit like a commentary track on a Blu Ray- could be quite a good luxury edition of the Fleming novels that they could sell. I might well go for something like that, whereas I'm unlikely to go for these reprints just because I don't need another version of the novels, unless they have incredible new cover art (and the US covers they've shown off do not suggest that they do)
Yes, agreed, those covers are terrible. There are many fans who've come up with far better cover art than those.
The Folio Society editions are tops for me. They’re expensive, but well worth it. Especially now. I’ve resolved to pick one up every 2-3 months until I have them all.
silhouette man said
Just to clarify that "sensitivity readers" as a term refers to readers in the employ of the publishers of the works of Ian Fleming (and Roald Dahl and no doubt soon to be other classic authors) who go through the original texts and edit or censor them according to what they perceive as the social and ethical mores of the contemporary time. Here's an article from The Spectator magazine dated 10 July 2021 which goes into more detail on this more recent publishing phenomenon:
The rise of the 'sensitivity reader' | The Spectator
____________________________________________________________
thanks for finding and posting this article @Silhouette Man , it makes this discussion a bit clearer
This job description seems quite benign, even positive, at least with newly published books. Fleming himself sought others input to get the details more authentic before publishing. I'm not sure he consulted with any Black Americans before publishing Live and Let Die however.
For older books, on the other hand, especially Classics, the original text should be available. Maybe alternative texts for target audiences, so long as the original is also available (were there not children's editions of Flemings books at one time? if so I'm sure they would've left a lot out)
(EDIT: yes, these children's editions are written about here in 007 Magazine website)
I was thinking about Mickey Spillane, whose first half dozen books I read last year. Now there is an objectionable author, though that's all part of the fun of reading his books. in Amis's Bond Dossier he compares the two authors, to clear Fleming of the Sadism charge by pointing to another then popular author who is much more sadistic. Thing is, Spillane is mostly forgotten today. Whereas Fleming is not, largely because of the success of the films, Whether or not his contemporaries thought his books qualified as literature or trash, I think into the future they will be capital L Literature simply because they will still be known and talked about. And for that reason alone the original texts should be available.
sorry, did not read all the contributions made by fellow members.
Is Ian Fleming Publications doing this by its initiative (just under pressure or to satisfy those "sensitivity characters") or is complying to a federal or government authority ?
Personally I would be surprised if 'original text' versions don't appear at some point in the near future, perhaps in more of a reference/historical style, purely because IFP are publishing these themselves and probably need product lines!
The kids ones are rather fascinating: I only heard about them for the first time recently. Surprised I never came across any and I must admit I'd be curious to have a flick through.
They're doing it on their own initiative and not complying with a government order.
I've got one, Dr No. It's a bit strange to read knowing how the original text is.
Edit- I have GF as well. They're both much shorter than the originals with large chunks simply omitted. They're both up in the attic at the moment, along with a lot of other Bond stuff.
After finding out about this this morning and then dealing with all the angry feelings it caused, I went around to all the used book stores in my area to grab all the Bond books I could find. The last place I went had a stack of basically brand new 2012 paperbacks. So I ended up with doubles.
I'm leaving on a work trip this weekend for a month, but if anyone in the US is having trouble finding copies of unedited books let me know and I can send off the doubles at cost. Also, the great bookstore I went to last still had a stack of older copies on the shelf.
Any post-2000 Penguin editions of Fleming, whether found in the UK and America, will have the original texts. That also goes for the Thomas & Mercer editions. I wasn't going to buy IFP's new edition anyway, since I already have two complete sets of the books (both Penguin), and I will be staying away from anything IFP publishes in the near future, unless it's something super-rare like Fleming's Moonraker script.
To be fair, they’ve been on sale continuously for 70 years; no one should have any trouble finding any old copies.
they will if one person has been going around to all the stores and buying up all the copies he could find.
😂🤣
Because my written English is not good enough to enjoy the written books I've listened to the Ian Fleming audio books each several times. The references have yet to offend me (and I am the 'target audience' for those who are assuming what people should or should not be offended about).
If James Bond offends you it is best that you don't read the books or watch the films. Learn to be your own censor don't censor everyone else.
As if they're not expensive enough now...
I hit up 5 used bookstores in my area and out of the first 4, I walked away with 3 books. I was able to get 2 more because one store was a chain and I ordered all available books they had, just the 2.
The 5th store I went to was in Lincoln, CA. It's a smaller town with a lot less through traffic. I'm thinking that's why they had so many more Bond books than the other stores.
But if nobody wants them, I don't really care. It'll save me a trip to the post office. I was just trying to be helpful.
I would have thought you could pick a paperack up for pence. And your local library will probably have them too.
It was a very kind thought.
I didn't get all the Bond books in the world. But there will be people thinking of doing what I did with the intent of selling at a higher price later. I left some out for those ****, and you, so don't worry.
Ah, you're near Roseville. I had a cousin there but he passed away last Thanksgiving. I grew up in the Sacramento area and used to visit Beers Books and Time Tested Books in downtown. There was also a regional chain called the Bookworm where I bought my first used Flemings. I bought my first new ones at Crown Books and Borders but those have gone to the great shopping mall in the sky. Nowadays there's a pretty good national chain called Half Price Books and I often see used Flemings there. And of course there are plenty of places to look online, like Abebooks, Alibris, Biblio, etc.
I am in Roseville! But I had to head to Citrus Heights to find most of the areas used bookstores, including Half Price Books. Super cool store. I bought the only Bond they had in stock and the 2 Books they had available to ship from the entire chain. It was a bust for the purposes of Bond books, but I'll be heading back with my son to check out the rest of the store 👍🏻
Thanks
They should read the book: " No More Mr. Nice Guy" by Dr. Robert Glover.
I am from Latin America. I haven't found anything that bothers me in the 5 or 6 book from Ian Fleming that I've read so far.
In Germany they have annotated versions of Mein Kampf. and even in that extreme case I think is counterproductive.
The Orwellian quotes seem opportune. Ministry of Truth in full swing. But the worst is that it's not imposed by a SPECTRE type organization but by the editors themselves. Nice Guys.
The wrong thread to mention it perhaps, but they've revealed the covers and I think they're rather lovely. Really nice colour palettes and very stylish.
They're much better than the new American designs, and they incorporate motifs from the books rather than the movies, which shows thought went into them. If only the interiors were as problem-free as the exteriors.
I think they’re great. TSWLM is very evocative, yet just using two elements really.
Moonraker funnily enough reminds me of ‘Cold’.
Nice Post re: the new covers. No need to 'censor' those. TMWTGG is a bit obscure and LALD fairly generic, otherwise a good selection. As said, pity about the interior changes...
This may be of interest -
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2023/mar/14/the-disabled-villain-why-sensitivity-reading-cant-kill-off-this-ugly-trope
A very good article
Moonraker cover reminds me of NTTD..😭
Some alright covers (if a bit generic), and probably would have been okay for a standard re-edition run, but I'm disappointed that this is what's been created for the 70th anniversary. They could have done much better IMO.
I was all set and excited to buy the new 70th Anniversary editions but not going anywhere near them now, due to the revised text.
I may well purchase them in a box set, as they are 70th anniversary editions. I wontvread them though. I have battered reading copies for that.