Tolkien — Page 2

Moth3r said:
Err... can't see many people complaining about that one.

I agree.  Black as soot sounds much more poetic.

As for The Hobbit, I actually prefer the new version, but thinking about it after reading through this thread, I have decided I would love a collector's edition of the original. 

I do think Tolkien's case is somewhat exceptional when it comes to authors rewriting their works after publication though.  Tolkien continually re-wrote his writings on Middle Earth and wasn't finished at the time of his death.  While other authors might make small changes to their works, continually re-inventing them is something that I have not come across with any other writer.

Moth3r said:

He made a classic work "Henry the Green Engine" in 1951.

But, in 1972, the story was attacked by the national press for containing the phrase "as black as niggers". To solve the problem, he changed the offending sentence to "as black as soot", which has been used in all subsequent editions of the book.

 1951?

That seems a little late in the day day to pass it off as just 'that's how folks talked back then.' Especially for a children's book.

I'm no expert, but I believe by the 50's polite society in the US was avoiding that term, at least in public and children's books.

Did that type of language, perhaps carry a different ammount of emotional weight in England?