Lifestyle | The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn New Huck Finn Edition Will Remove 'N-Word' Twain scholar says it's necessary to keep the book available to students By Nick McMaster Posted Jan 4, 2011 5:00 PM CST Copied Author Samuel Longhorne Clemens, better known under his pen name, Mark Twain, is seen in this undated file photo. (AP Photo, File) A Twain scholar in Alabama is taking a controversial approach to making Huckleberry Finn available to more students: Removing the 219 instances of the word "n-----" in a new volume to be released by NewSouth Books. In its place will be the word "slave," reports Publishers Weekly. "This is not an effort to render Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn colorblind," says Auburn's Alan Gribben. "Race matters in these books. It's a matter of how you express that in the 21st century." Gribben, who's already catching flak, says the move is a necessary compromise given that the book is barred from more and more school reading lists because of the word. It'll be out in February. Read These Next Online boo-bears go after the demo firm tearing White House apart. President Monroe's daughter wrote a desperate plea in 1839. 'Butt-breathing' could be the future for struggling patients. Plane windshield partially shatters mid-flight. There's a suspect. Report an error