New York Post

GOLD FOR OLD ROALD

Originals ‘unwoke’

- By BEN COST

They’re charging a pretty penny for the una-Dahl-terated classics.

While undoubtedl­y maligned by many, the notorious Roald Dahl word purge could prove a boon to one segment of society: the owners of the original books. “Unedited” versions of the classic children’s novels have reportedly been listed for as much as $7,000 on eBay.

This comes after the news broke that Puffin Books — a Penguin Books imprint for children — had tapped so-called sensitivit­y experts to scrub language they deemed offensive in an effort to appease the “woke” masses. This politicall­y correct makeover included removing the words “fat” or “ugly,” and making the beloved Oompa Loompas of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” gender-neutral.

Puffin and the Roald Dahl Story Company made the changes in conjunctio­n with the advocacy group Inclusive Minds, which is “a collective for people who are passionate about inclusion and accessibil­ity in children’s literature,” a spokespers­on told the Daily Mail.

Yet there’s a silver lining to the Willy Woke-ification for some enterprisi­ng cynics, who could potentiall­y rake in a boatload selling the unaltered versions of the books on eBay.

For example, a signed 1989 copy of “Matilda” — which will be changed in future editions to describe the story’s villain Mrs. Trunchbull, formerly the “most formidable female,” to the “most formidable woman” — is listed for $2,731.39 on the auction site.

Another e-bazaar user is hawking an unvarnishe­d edition of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” for an eye-popping $7,216. In the “inclusive” iteration, the diminutive staffers of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory are referred to as “small people” instead of “small men” while the honey-grubbing Augustus Gloop is no longer “fat” but “enormous.”

Literati can also pay a staggering $1,800 for an original copy of “The Twits,” in which Mrs. Twit is described as both “ugly and beastly,” and not just “beastly” as she is in the new version.

If that wasn’t enough of a digital golden ticket, a signed copy of “The BFG” is listed for $5,251.01. “James and the Giant Peach” is starting at $2,500 while a signed first edition of “The Witches” is going for $7,500.

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