Roald Dahl Book Publisher Backtracks A Bit On Editing Problematic Words

Days after reports that Roald Dahl Story Company worked with book publisher Puffin to edit and remove multiple problematic words and phrases from Dahl's classic children's books, the companies are now backtracking.

They vowed to continue to publish Dahl's works in their original form as part of the newly released Roald Dahl Classic Collection. However, they will continue to sell the edited versions of the books, which no longer include words such as "fat," "ugly," and "crazy." In addition, gendered language was removed, and descriptions of female characters that were considered to be old and outdated were also rewritten.

"As a children's publisher, our role is to share the magic of stories with children with the greatest thought and care. Roald Dahl's fantastic books are often the first stories young children will read independently, and taking care for the imaginations and fast-developing minds of young readers is both a privilege and a responsibility," Francesca Dow, MD of Penguin Random House Children's said in a statement.

"We also recognize the importance of keeping Dahl's classic texts in print. By making both Puffin and Penguin versions available, we are offering readers the choice to decide how they experience Roald Dahl's magical, marvelous stories."