Books

Lyon, bruised and battered, in June 1944 (Image: Getty) The city of Lyon is bisected by two rivers, dominated by two enormous hills, crisscrossed by a network of centuries-old tunnels and, nearly 80 years after its liberation from the Nazis, haunted by dark shadows. Even today, the identities of the …

James Bond creator Ian Fleming’s estate last night sensationally claimed he would sanction the rewriting of his famously politically incorrect novels. His postwar series of spy novels are littered with misogynistic and racist references which have fallen foul of the sensitivity police. Although he died in 1964 aged 56 his …

James Bond fans have just learned that some of the original novels, written by Sir Ian Fleming, will be receiving some major edits in the coming months. The Daily Telegraph has reported certain words and phrases – including the N-word – will be removed from the books. But fans of …

Rowling continued: “When I realised I was definitely going to go, I would take a few pages of the manuscript into work each day… just a few pages so he wouldn’t realise. “Gradually, in a cupboard in the staff room, bit by bit, a photocopied manuscript grew and grew because …

It’s enough to leave James Bond traditionalists shaken and stirred. Writer Ian Fleming’s superspy novels are the latest to be edited for 21st-century sensibilities. Racial references have been erased from the thrillers, ready to be reissued later this year to mark Bond’s 70th anniversary. But while remarks on black people …

Rosemary Shrager in her Kent kitchen (Image: Steve Finn) Haflway through our interview, a courier arrives at her cottage in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, and asks Rosemary Shrager to sign for an unexpected parcel. “I love this sort of thing; I love a present,” the celebrity chef declares, as she deftly …

Abraham Lincoln adored possum dip, Eisenhower was a squirrel meat man while Franklin Delano Roosevelt loved nothing more than buffalo tongue as an appetiser. In more modern times, President John F Kennedy and First Lady Jackie hired a French chef to prepare exquisite everyday meals at the White House, as …

JK Rowling has denied intending to “upset anyone” with her views on transgender rights. The Harry Potter author was attacked by some activists when she questioned allowing trans women in women-only spaces. Ms Rowling, 57, told the podcast The Witch Trials Of JK Rowling that critics who claim her gender …

Roald Dahl’s children’s books are being rewritten to remove language deemed offensive (Image: GETTY) You might describe it, as indeed the Prime Minister’s official spokesman did this week, as “gobblefunking” around with language. Augustus Gloop is no longer fat, the Cloud-Men in James And The Giant Peach have become Cloud-People …

The first Harry Potter manuscript was hidden by JK Rowling’s abusive ex-husband in a bid to stop her from leaving him, the best-selling author has revealed. Jorge Arantes stole the pages of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone to hold like a “hostage”, she says – leading her to fear …