New Huck Finn Edition Will Remove 'N-Word'

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.