Roald Dahl publishers Puffin have announced they will continue to publish the author’s novels in their classic format.
The company announced today that it would release the Roald Dahl Classic Collection to “keep author’s classic texts in print”.
The announcement will see the books published alongside the reformatted editions made for young readers.
The classic editions will include 17 Penguin titles, each with added “archive material relevant to each of the stories”.
The Puffin imprint will release books for young readers “designed for children who may be navigating written content independently for the first time”.
The changes mean that readers “will be free to choose which version of Dahl’s stories they prefer”, Puffin said.
Francesca Dow, MD of Penguin Random House Children’s, said Puffin has “proudly published Roald Dahl’s stories for more than forty years” while partnered with the Roald Dahl Story Company.
She added: “Their mischievous spirit and his unique storytelling genius have delighted the imaginations of readers across many generations.
“We’ve listened to the debate over the past week which has reaffirmed the extraordinary power of Roald Dahl’s books and the very real questions around how stories from another era can be kept relevant for each new generation.
“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.
“We also recognise 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, marvellous stories.”
Puffin had previously sparked controversy when it was found the titles were published with revised wording.
The publisher worked with the Roald Dahl Company to make “small and carefully considered” changes to the texts.
The changes saw some words taken out – such as “fat” and “ugly” – with other changes made around subjects like mental health, gender and race.
Critics have branded the alterations unnecessary, but changes to Mr Dahl’s works have taken place for years, mostly quietly.
They have sought to extract some of the more problematic language used by the author, who was no stranger to controversy while he was alive.
