Text-01 “The Gold-Bug” — about October 1842 (There are no known draft
manuscripts or scratch notes reflecting the original effort of composition. About the date of compostion, Mabbott
(T&S, 2:803), says only that “ ‘The
Gold-Bug’ probably began to take shape soon after Poe wrote, in Graham's for November 1841, of Samuel
Warren's Ten Thousand a Year: ‘A main source of the interest which this book possesses for the mass, is
to be referred to the pecuniary nature of its theme ... it is an affair of pounds,
shillings, and pence — a topic which comes at least as immediately to the bosoms ... of mankind, as any which could be selected.’ ” He then states “Poe had
‘The Gold-Bug” ready sometime in 1842.”)
Text-02a “The Gold-Bug” — about October 1842 — faircopy roll MS,
not seen since 1843, and almost surely lost after printing, but presumably recorded in Text-02b. F. O. C.
Darley wrote to G. E. Woodberry on February 26, 1884: “I remember his reading his ‘Gold Bug’
and ‘Black Cat’ to me before they were published. The form of his manuscript was peculiar: he
wrote on half sheets of note paper, which he pasted together at the ends, making one continuous piece, which
he rolled up tightly. As he read he dropped it upon the floor. It was very neatly written, and without
corrections, apparently” (Woodberry, 1885, p.
181, and repeated, 1909, 2:2-3). Poe originally
sold the story to George Rex Graham for Graham's Magazine, but exchanged it for “some
critical papers” (Poe to Graham, undated but quoted by Graham in Graham's Magazine, March
1850). Poe seems to have intended to use the story, in two parts, in his own projected magazing, the
Stylus, and contracted with Darley to provide the illustrations. When he was forced to abandon his
plans for the magazine, he submitted the story to the Dollar Newspaper (see Savoye). In printing the
prize-winning tale, Darley's illustrations were used. (The apparently unique copy of the relevant issues
of the Dollar Newspaper are at the Maryland Center for History and Culture, formerly the Maryland
Historical Society.)
Text-02b — “The Gold-Bug” — 1843 — Dollar Newspaper
— (Mabbott text A)
“The Gold-Bug” - Part I — June
21, 1843 (with illustration #1 by F. O. C. Darley)
“The Gold-Bug” - Parts I & II
— June 28, 1843 (with illustrations #1 and #2 by F. O. C. Darley) (the publishers issued several
subsequent reprints, see below)
Text-03a — “The Gold-Bug” — 1844-1845 — (This entry is a
speculative intermediary form. It is presumed to have been a revised copy of the Dollar Newspaper, in
preparation for TALES)
Text-03b — “The Gold-Bug” —
1845 — TALES — (Mabbott text B) (For Griswold's 1850
reprinting of this text, see the entry below, under reprints.)
Text-03c — “The Gold-Bug” —
1846-1849 — manuscript revisions in J. L. Graham copy of TALES — (Mabbott text C
— This is Mabbott's copy text)
Reprints:
“The Gold-Bug” — June 24 - July 8, 1843 — Saturday Courier
(reprinted from Text-02b) (A copy of all three issues may be found in the Koester Poe Collection, Harry Ransom
Center, University of Texas as Austin)
“The Gold-Bug” - Part I — June 24, 1843
“The Gold-Bug” - Part II — July 1, 1843
“The Gold-Bug” - Part III — July 8, 1843 (with illustration #2 by F. O.
C. Darley) (A. H. Quinn p. 392, states that this last
installment includes both illustrations, and this is verified by the copy in the Koester Collection)
“The Gold-Bug” — July 3-17, 1843 — Republican Compiler
(Gettysburg, PA) (acknowledged as reprinted from Text-02b)
“The Gold-Bug [Part I]” — July 3, 1843 — Republican
Compiler, vol. XXV, no. 41, p. 1, cols. 3-6)
“The Gold-Bug [Part II]” — July 17, 1843 — Republican
Compiler, vol. XXV, no. 42, p. 1, cols. 1-5)
“The Gold-Bug” — July 7-21, 1843 — the Woonsocket Weekly
Patriot (Woonsocket, RI) (acknowledged as reprinted from the Philadelphia Dollar Newspaper and with
Poe's name, but without illustrations) (This listing is based on a possibly unique file of the paper at the
American Antiquarian Society.)
“The Gold-Bug” — July 7, 1843 — Woonsocket Weekly Patriot
(Woonsocket, RI), vol. 10, no. 42, whole no. 510, p. 1, cols. 1-5
“The Gold-Bug” — July 14, 1843 — Woonsocket Weekly Patriot
(Woonsocket, RI), vol. 10, no. 43, whole no. 511, p. 1, cols. 1-5
“The Gold-Bug” — July 21, 1843 — Woonsocket Weekly Patriot
(Woonsocket, RI), vol. 10, no. 44, whole no. 512, p. 1, cols. 1-4
“The Gold-Bug” — July 12-20, 1843 — the Dollar Newspaper
(several reprints were made to satisfy public demand. These reprints are noted in contemporary copies of the
Philadelphia Public Ledger, issued by the same publishers and sold from their offices. The story is
printed in full in each of these issues, using the same type as the earlier printings, and with the two
illustrations. According to the Ledger, these issues were available with or without wrappers.)
“The Gold-Bug” — July 12, 1843
— Dollar Newspaper, supplement (third edition)
“The Gold-Bug” — July 14, 1843 — Dollar Newspaper, special
printing (fourth edition)
“The Gold-Bug” — July 20, 1843 — Dollar Newspaper, special
printing (fifth, and final edition of this run)
“The Gold-Bug” — July 24-27, 1843 — Batimore Sun (acknowledged
as reprinted from Text-02b) (The Sun also reprinted the second and third prize stories)
“The Gold-Bug [Part I]” — July 24, 1843 — Baltimore Sun (p.
1, cols. 3-5)
“The Gold-Bug [Part II]” — July 25, 1843 — Baltimore Sun
(p. 1, cols. 3-6)
“The Gold-Bug [Part III]” — July 26, 1843 — Baltimore Sun
(p. 1, cols 4-6)
“The Gold-Bug [Part IV]” — July 27, 1843 — Baltimore Sun
(p. 1, cols. 4-6)
“The Gold-Bug” — July 27-August 3, 1843 — the Elmira Gazette
(Elmira, NY) (reprinted from Text-02, acknowledged and with Poe's name, but without illustrations)
“The Gold-Bug” - Part I — July 27, 1843
“The Gold-Bug” - Part II — August 3, 1843
“The Gold-Bug” — July 29, 1843 — Baltimore Weekly Sun
(acknowledged as reprinted from Text-02b) (noted by Kevin Hayes, 2004) (cited in the Baltimore Sun for July
29, 1843, p. 2: “THE WEEKLY SUN is issued as usual this morning, containing a fund of valuable and interesting reading, embracing the
popular ‘Prize Tale of the Gold Bug,’ by Edgar A. Poe, Esq. ...”)
“The Gold-Bug” — August 3-17, 1843 — the Volunteer (Montrose,
PA) (reprinted from Text-02b)
“The Gold-Bug” - Part I — August 3, 1843
“The Gold-Bug” - Part II — August 10, 1843
“The Gold-Bug” - Part III — August 17, 1843
“The Gold-Bug” — August 19-26, 1843 — Alton Telegraph &
Democratic Review (Alton, IL) (acknowledged as reprinted from Text-02b)
“The Gold-Bug [Part I]” — August 19, 1843 — Alton Telegraph
& Democratic Review, vol. VII, no. 33, p. 1, cols. 1-7)
“The Gold-Bug [Part II]” — August 26, 1843 — Alton Telegraph
& Democratic Review, vol. VII, no. 34, p. 1, cols. 1-7)
“The Gold Bug” — 1846-1847, pirated reprint in pamphlet form, London: Arthur
Dyson (reprinted from Text-03b)
“The Gold-Bug” — July 22, 1848 — Boston Museum, vol. I, no. 6,
pp. 46-47 (Poe's name is acknowledged, but not the source) (reprinted from Text-03b) (The Boston
Museum was published by Moses A. Dow and Putnam, and edited by William O. Eaton)
“The Gold-Bug” — September 7, 1848 — Maine Farmer (Augusta,
ME) (reprinted from Text-03b)
“The Gold Bug; or, the Treasures of Kidd” — November 1849 — the
Salem Gazette (without illustrations)
“The Gold Bug” - Part I (November 23, 1849)
“The Gold Bug” - Part II (November 30, 1849?)
“The Gold Bug” — December 1849 — General Advertiser
(Providence, RI) (published every Saturday) (without illustrations) (The story is acknowledged as by “Edgar
Allan Poe”)
“The Gold Bug” - Part I (December 15, 1849) (p. 1, cols. 6-8, continuing
on p. 2, col. 1)
“The Gold Bug” - Part II (December 22, 1849) (p. 1, cols. 6-8,
continuing on p. 2, col. 1)
“The Gold-Bug” — 1850
— WORKS — (Mabbott text D) {Griswold merely reprints from the stereotype plates of
Text-03b.)
“The Gold-Bug” — 1852 — Tales and Sketches: to which is added The
Raven: A Poem, London, George Routledge & Co., pp. 1-31
“The Gold-Beetle” — 1852 — Tales of Mystery and Imagination and
Humour; and Poems, London: Henry Vizetelly (An undated edition appears about the same time, published by
Charles H. Clark and Samuel Orchart Beeton, and their name appears as publisher for the second series), first
series pp. 1-46. (with 8 woodcut illustrations, one of which appears on the title page) (In England, a
“bug” is specifically thought of as a “bed-bug,” hence this slight and curious change in
the title of the tale.)
“The Gold-Bug” — July 27-August 3, 1853 — the Dollar Newspaper
(without illustrations) (reprinted from the 1843 Dollar Newspaper, but newly set in type)
“The Gold-Bug” - Part I — July 27, 1853
“The Gold-Bug” - Part II — August 3, 1853
“The Gold-Bug” — August 11-18, 1853 — the Elmira Gazette
(without illustrations) (reprinted from the 1853 Dollar Newspaper)
“The Gold-Bug” - Part I — August 11, 1853, vol. XXVI, no. 11, p. 1,
cols. 1-7
“The Gold-Bug” - Part II — August 18, 1853, vol. XXVI, no. 12, p. 1,
cols. 1-7
“The Gold-Bug” — October 15-29, 1853 — the Otsego Democrat
(Cooperstown, NY) (without illustrations) (reprinted from the 1853 Dollar Newspaper)
“The Gold-Bug” - Part I — October 15, 1853, vol. 7, no. 33, p. 1, cols.
1-5
“The Gold-Bug” - Part II — October 22, 1853, vol. 7, no. 24, p. 1, cols.
1-5
“The Gold-Bug” - Part III — October 29, 1853, vol. 7, no. 25, p. 1,
cols. 1-4
“The Gold-Bug” — February 1854 — Vox Populi (Lowell, MA)
(without illustrations) (reprinted from the 1853 issue of the Dollar Newspaper)
“The Gold-Bug” - Part I — February 17, 1854
“The Gold-Bug” - Part II — February 24, 1854
“The Gold-Beetle” — 1855 — Tales of Mystery and Imagination,
Halifax: Milner and Sowerby (pp. 1-41)
“The Gold-Beetle” — 1856 — Boy's Own Magazine (London, UK)
“The Gold-Beetle” — March 1856 — Boy's Own Magazine
(London, UK), vol. III, no. 3, pp. 65-72
“The Gold-Beetle” — July 1856 — Boy's Own Magazine
(London, UK), vol. III, no. 4, pp. 112-121
“The Gold Bug [[sic]]” — July 1857 — White Cloud Kansas
Chief (White Cloud, KS) (without illustrations) (with the subtitle “The Great Prize Tale. By Edgar A.
Poe, Esq.” and acknowledged as from the Philadelphia Dollar Newspaper, probably from the 1853
reissue. For both issues, it appears on the front page.)
“The Gold Bug [[sic]]” - Part I — July 2, 1857
“The Gold Bug [[sic]]” - Part II — July 9, 1857
“The Gold-Bug” — February 1859 — New York Weekly News (without
illustrations) (Reprinted from the 1853 issue of the Dollar Newspaper. Mentioned in Mabbott's
hand-written notes at the U. of IA as “evidence of popularity.” The New York Daily News
apparently reprinted the story on February 7, 1859, based on announcements in other papers.)
“The Gold-Bug” - Part I — February 12, 1859
“The Gold-Bug” - Part II — February 19, 1859
“The Gold-Bug” — April 26 - May 3, 1860 — East Saginaw Courier
(East Saginaw, Michigan) (Acknowledged as “Published by permission of J. S. Redfield, of New York,
publisher of Poe's Works.”) (This entry provided to the Poe Society by Ton Fafianie in an e-mail dated
July 16, 2018)
“The Gold-Bug” - Part I — April 26, 1860, vol. I no. 39, p. 1
“The Gold-Bug” - Part II — May 3, 1860, vol. I no. 40, pp. 1-2
“The Gold-Bug” — December 9, 1860 - January 5, 1861 — Delaware
Republican (Delhi, Delaware Co., New York) (This entry provided to the Poe Society by Ton Fafianie in
an e-mail dated July 16, 2018)
“The Gold-Bug” - Part I — December 9, 1860, vol. I no. 34, p. ?
“The Gold-Bug” - Part II — January 5, 1861, ??
“The Gold-Bug” — March 1861 — the Spirit of Democracy
(Woodsfield, OH) (all of these installments acknowledge the author as “by Edgar A. Poe”) (This entry
provided to the Poe Society by Ton Fafianie, in an e-mail dated May 25, 2018)
“The Gold-Bug [Part I]” — March 13, 1861 — Spirit of
Democracy, vol. 18, no. 1, p. 1)
“The Gold-Bug [Part II]” — March 20, 1861 — Spirit of
Democracy, vol. 18, no. 2, p. 1)
“The Gold-Bug [Part III]” — March 27, 1861 — Spirit of
Democracy, vol. 18, no. 3, p. 1)
“The Gold-Bug” — April 5 - May 10, 1867 — Columbian
(Bloomsburg, PA) (none of the installments give Poe's name as the author)
“The Gold-Bug [Part I]” — April 5, 1867 — Columbian, vol.
I, no. 14, p. 1, cols. 3-5)
“The Gold-Bug [Part II]” — April 12, 1867 — Columbian, vol.
I, no. 15, p. 1, cols. 3-5)
“The Gold-Bug [Part III]” — April 19, 1867 — Columbian,
vol. I, no. 16, p. 1, cols. 3-5)
“The Gold-Bug [Part IV]” — April 26, 1867 — Columbian, vol.
I, no. 17, p. 1, cols. 3-5)
“The Gold-Bug [Part V]” — May 3, 1867 — Columbian, vol. I,
no. 18, p. 1, cols. 3-5)
“The Gold-Bug [Part VI]” — May 10, 1867 — Columbian, vol.
I, no. 19, p. 1, cols. 3-4)
“The Gold-Bug” — 1867 — Prose Tales of Edgar Allan Poe, first
series (New York: W. J. Widdleton), pp. 52-87 (This collection is extracted from the 1850-1856 edition of
Poe's Works. It was reprinted several times.)
“The Gold-Bug” — March 26 - April 16, 1870 — Orangeburg News
(Orangeburg, SC) (acknowledged as by “Edgar A. Poe,” and with the introductory note that it was
“PUBLISHED BY REQUEST”)
“The Gold-Bug [Part I]” — March 26, 1870 — Orangeburg News,
vol. 4, no. 6, p. 1, cols. 4-7)
“The Gold-Bug [Part II]” — April 2, 1870 — Orangeburg News,
vol. 4, no. 7, p. 1, cols. 4-7)
“The Gold-Bug [Part III]” — April 9, 1870 — Orangeburg
News, vol. 4, no. 8, p. 1, cols. 4-7)
“The Gold-Bug [Part IV]” — April 16, 1870 — Orangeburg
News, vol. 4, no. 9, p. 1, cols. 4-?)
“The Gold-Bug” — May 5-19, 1870 — Yorkville Enquirer
(Yorkville, SC) (acknowledged as by “Edgar A. Poe.”)
“The Gold-Bug [Part I]” — May 5, 1870 — Yorkville Enquirer,
vol. 16, no. 18, p. 1, cols. 4-6)
“The Gold-Bug [Part II]” — May 12, 1870 — Yorkville
Enquirer, vol. 16, no. 19, p. 1, cols. 4-6)
“The Gold-Bug [Part III]” — May 19, 1870 — Yorkville
Enquirer, vol. 16, no. 20, p. 1, cols. 4-8)
“The Gold-Bug” — 1874
— Works of Edgar A. Poe, edited by J. H. Ingram, vol. 1, pp. 1-38 (Ingram reprints the Griswold text
of the 1850 works, itself a reprint of the 1845 text from tales.) (This collection was
subsequently reprinted in various forms)
“The Gold-Bug” — 1875 — Little Classics, vol. XII:
Fortune, Boston: James R. Osgood & Co. (This 18 volume series, edited by Rossiter Johnson, contains
selections from many authors, including Poe, Dickens, and Hawthorne. Each volume is theoretically comprised around
a different theme.)
“The Gold-Bug” — July 9, 1885 — National Tribune (Washington,
DC) (acknowledged as by “Edgar A. Poe,” and with the subtitle of “The Cipher-Index to the
Pirate's Treasure.” The story is also noted as being “Printed by permission of A. C. Armstrong
& Co., New York.”) (This entry was provided by Ton Fafianie in an e-mail to the Poe Society dated
January 19, 2018)
“The Gold-Bug [Part I]” — July 9, 1885 — Washington, DC,
vol. IV, no. 48, p. 2, cols. 4-5)
“The Gold-Bug [Part II]” — July 16, 1885 — Washington, DC,
vol. IV, no. 49, p. 2, cols. 3-5)
“The Gold-Bug [Part III]” — July 16, 1885 — Washington, DC,
vol. IV, no. 50, p. 2, cols. 2-3)
“The Gold Bug” — October 31, 1883 — Swinton's Story-Teller: A
Weekly of Choice Complete Tales, pp. 14-27 (a general reprint)
“The Gold-Bug” — March-April 1887 — The New Moon: A People's
Magazine (Lowell, MA) — (an introductory note states: “By particular request we publish this
strange and weird story from the pen of that rare literary genius, Edgar Allen [[Allan]] Poe.”)
“The Gold-Bug” - Part I — vol. 6, no. 5, March 1887, pp. 1-??
“The Gold-Bug” - Part II — vol. 6, no. 5, April 1887, pp. 15-??
“The Gold Bug” — 1888 — The Classic and the Beautiful from the
Literature of Three Thousand Years by the Authors and Orators of all Countries (pp. 426-450) (edited by
Henry Coppée) (initially begun in 1883, issued by suscription at $1.00 per division/section. Eventually,
fully published in six large volumes, by 1895.)
“The Gold-Bug” — April 18-21, 1893 — Santa Cruz Daily Sentinel
(Santa Cruz, CA) (with seven new woodcut illustrations) (the indications of continuation are lacking from issue to
issue)
“The Gold-Bug” — April 18, 1893 — Santa Cruz Daily Sentinel
(Santa Cruz, CA), vol. XIX, no. 3, p. 4. cols. 1-3 and p. 2, col. 3 (with two illustrations)
“The Gold-Bug” — April 19, 1893 — Santa Cruz Daily Sentinel
(Santa Cruz, CA), vol. XIX, no. 4, p. 4. cols. 1-3 (with two illustrations)
“The Gold-Bug” — April 20, 1893 — Santa Cruz Daily Sentinel
(Santa Cruz, CA), vol. XIX, no. 5, p. 4. cols. 1-3 (with two illustrations)
“The Gold-Bug” — April 21, 1893 — Santa Cruz Daily Sentinel
(Santa Cruz, CA), vol. XIX, no. 6, p. 4. cols. 1-2 (with one illustration)
“The Gold-Bug” — April 20-27, 1893 — Morning Star (Wilmington,
NC)
“The Gold-Bug” — April 20, 1893 — Morning Star (Wilmington,
NC), vol. LII, no. 25, p. 3, cols. 2-3 (with an illustration)
“The Gold-Bug” — April 21, 1893 — Morning Star (Wilmington,
NC), vol. LII, no. 26, p. 3, cols. 2-3
“The Gold-Bug” — April 22, 1893 — Morning Star (Wilmington,
NC), vol. LII, no. 27, p. 3, cols. 2-3 (with an illustration)
“The Gold-Bug” — April 23, 1893 — Morning Star (Wilmington,
NC), vol. LII, no. 28, p. 3, cols. 2-3 (with two illustrations)
“The Gold-Bug” — April 25, 1893 — Morning Star (Wilmington,
NC), vol. LII, no. 29, p. 3, cols. 2-3 (with an illustration)
“The Gold-Bug” — April 26, 1893 — Morning Star (Wilmington,
NC), vol. LII, no. 30, p. 3, cols. 2-3 (with an illustration)
“The Gold-Bug” — April 27, 1893 — Morning Star (Wilmington,
NC), vol. LII, no. 31, p. 3, cols. 2-3
“The Goldbug” — May 6, 1893 — Meriden Daily Journal (Meriden,
CN), vol. XI, no. 327, p. 10, cols. 2-7, p. 11, and p. 12, col. 1 (with seven woodcut illustrations, one of which
is quite reminiscent of Darley) (reprinted in the same issue as several of of Poe's short stories, all
acknowledged as by “Edgar Allan Poe.”)
“The Gold-Bug” — May 21 - June 4, 1897 — Philipsburg Mail
(Philipsburg, MT)
“The Gold-Bug” — May 21, 1897 — Philipsburg Mail
(Philipsburg, MT), vol. 11, no. 17, p. 2, cols. 2-6
“The Gold-Bug” — May 28, 1897 — Philipsburg Mail
(Philipsburg, MT), vol. 11, no. 18, p. 2, cols. 4-6, and p. 3, cols. 1-3
“The Gold-Bug” — June 6, 1897 — Philipsburg Mail
(Philipsburg, MT), vol. 11, no. 19, p. 2, cols. 3-6
“The Gold Bug” — November 1904 — School World, vol. XXIV, no.
46. (abridged)
“The Gold-Bug” — May 28 - June 9, 1917 — Seattle Star (Seattle,
WA) (acknowledged as by “Edgar Allan Poe”)
“The Gold-Bug” — May 28, 1917 — Seattle Star (Seattle, WA),
vol. 19 (no issue number), p. 4, cols. 4-6 (designated as Chapter I, with the subtitle “Hermit of
Sullivan's Island”)
“The Gold-Bug” — May 29, 1917 — Seattle Times (Seattle,
WA), vol. 19 (no issue number), p. 4, cols. 6-8 (designated as Chapter II, with the subtitle “The
Letter”)
“The Gold-Bug” — May 30, 1917 — Seattle Times (Seattle,
WA), vol. 19 (no issue number), p. 4, cols. 5-7 (designated as Chapter III)
“The Gold-Bug” — May 31, 1917 — Seattle Times (Seattle,
WA), vol. 19 (no issue number), p. 4, cols. 6-8 (continuing Chapter III)
“The Gold-Bug” — June 1, 1917 — Seattle Times (Seattle,
WA), vol. 19 (no issue number), p. 6, cols. 4-8 (Chapter IV, with the subtitle “We Dig Deep”)
“The Gold-Bug” — June 2, 1917 — Seattle Times (Seattle,
WA), vol. 19 (no issue number), p. 4, cols. 3-5 (continuing Chapter IV and beginning Chapter V with the
subtitle “The Treasure”)
“The Gold-Bug” — June 4, 1917 — Seattle Times (Seattle,
WA), vol. 19 (no issue number), p. 6, cols. 3-5 (continuing Chapter V)
“The Gold-Bug” — June 5, 1917 — Seattle Times (Seattle,
WA), vol. 19 (no issue number), p. 2, cols. 6-8 (continuing Chapter V)
“The Gold-Bug” — June 6, 1917 — Seattle Times (Seattle,
WA), vol. 19 (no issue number), p. 6, cols. 5-7 (Beginning Chapter VI with the subtitle “The
Cipher”)
“The Gold-Bug” — June 7, 1917 — Seattle Times (Seattle,
WA), vol. 19 (no issue number), p. 6, cols. 5-7 (continuing Chapter VI)
“The Gold-Bug” — June 8, 1917 — Seattle Times (Seattle,
WA), vol. 19 (no issue number), p. 6, cols. 3-5 (continuing Chapter VI and beginning Chapter VII with the
subtitle “Mystery Solved”)
“The Gold-Bug” — June 9, 1917 — Seattle Times (Seattle,
WA), vol. 19 (no issue number), p. 4, cols. 4-6 (continuing Chapter VII)
“The Gold-Bug” — May 28 - June 9, 1917 — Tacoma Times (Tacoma,
WA) (acknowledged as by “Edgar Allen [[Allan]] Poe”)
“The Gold-Bug” — May 28, 1917 — Tacoma Times (Tacoma, WA),
vol. XIV, no. 136, p. 2, cols. 1-4 (designated as Chapter I)
“The Gold-Bug” — May 29, 1917 — Tacoma Times (Tacoma, WA),
vol. XIV, no. 137, p. 2, cols. 2-6 (designated as Chapter II, with the subtitle “The Letter”)
“The Gold-Bug” — May 30, 1917 — Tacoma Times (Tacoma, WA),
vol. XIV, no. 138, p. 6, cols. 5-6 (designated as Chapter III, with the subtitle “The Skull in the
Tree”)
“The Gold-Bug” — May 31, 1917 — Tacoma Times (Tacoma, WA),
vol. XIV, no. 139, p. 6, cols. 1-3 (continuing Chapter III and beginning Chapter IV, with the subtitle
“We Dig Deep”)
“The Gold-Bug” — June 1, 1917 — Tacoma Times (Tacoma, WA),
vol. XIV, no. 140, p. 2, cols. 3-4 (continuing Chapter IV)
“The Gold-Bug” — June 2, 1917 — Tacoma Times (Tacoma, WA),
vol. XIV, no. 141, p. 2, cols. 3-5 (continuing Chapter IV and beginning Chapter V with the subtitle “The
Treasure”)
“The Gold-Bug” — June 4, 1917 — Tacoma Times (Tacoma, WA),
vol. XIV, no. 142, p. 2, cols. 1-3 (continuing Chapter V)
“The Gold-Bug” — June 5, 1917 — Tacoma Times (Tacoma, WA),
vol. XIV, no. 143, p. 2, cols. 6-8 (continuing Chapter V)
“The Gold-Bug” — June 6, 1917 — Tacoma Times (Tacoma, WA),
vol. XIV, no. 144, p. 5, cols. 5-6 (Beginning Chapter VI with the subtitle “The Cipher”)
“The Gold-Bug” — June 7, 1917 — Tacoma Times (Tacoma, WA),
vol. XIV, no. 145, p. 2, cols. 1-5 (continuing Chapter VI)
“The Gold-Bug” — June 8, 1917 — Tacoma Times (Tacoma, WA),
vol. XIV, no. 146, p. 2, cols. 1-3 (continuing Chapter VI and beginning Chapter VII with the subtitle
“Mystery Solved”)
“The Gold-Bug” — June 9, 1917 — Tacoma Times (Tacoma, WA),
vol. XIV, no. 147, p. 2, cols. 1-5 (continuing Chapter VII)
“The Gold Bug” — December 6, 1914 — Hartford Courant (p. X8)
(excerpt) (this item is noted by George Monteiro, “Fugitive Reprints,” E. A. Poe Review, Fall
2010, p. 162.)
“The Gold-Bug” — 1930 — Treasure Trove of Pirate Stories, a
Collection of Pirate Stories for Young People, edited by Ramon Wilke Kessler, New York: D. Appleton and Co.
(with illustrations by A. O. Scott)
“The Gold-Bug” — April 1934 — Amazing Stories, vol. 8, no. 12.
(a pulp magazine, with an original price of 25 cents)
Scholarly and Noteworthy Reprints:
“The Gold-Bug” —
1894-1895 — The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, vol. 3: Tales, ed. E. C. Stedman and G. E. Woodberry,
Chicago: Stone and Kimball (3:5-52) (This version is the first printed text to implement Poe's substantial
changes from the J. Lorimer Graham copy)
“The Gold-Bug” — 1898
— The Gold-Bug, The Purloined Letter and Other Tales, ed. William P. Trent (Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Company), pp. 1-52
“The Gold-Bug” — 1902
— The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe, vol. 5: Tales IV, ed. J. A. Harrison, New York: T. Y.
Crowell (5:95-142, and 5:321-322)
“The Gold-Bug” — 1978
— The Collected Works of Edgar Allan Poe, vol. 3: Tales & Sketches II, ed. T. O. Mabbott,
Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press (3:799-847)
“The Gold-Bug” — 1984 — Edgar Allan Poe: Poetry and Tales, ed.
Patrick F. Quinn (New York: Library of America), pp. 560-596
“The Gold-Bug” — 2015 — The Annotated Poe, ed. Kevin J. Hayes
(Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press), pp. 266-305
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Comparative and Study Texts:
Instream Comparative and Study Texts:
“The Gold-Bug” — Comparative Text
(Dollar Newspaper and TALES)
“The Gold-Bug” — July 8, 1843 —
Philadelphia Saturday Museum (a considerably abridged version)
“Le Scarabée d’Or” — (French translation signed “A.
B.” H&C give this name more fully as Alphonse Borghers. Mabbott notes Alphonse Borghers as a pseudonym,
and the translator's real name as Amédée Pichot, the chief editor of the Revue, see
Bandy, 79:277-280, Mabbott, T&S, 1978, p. 805. )
“Le Scarabée d’Or” — November 1845 — Revue
britannique, pp. 168-212
“Le Scarabée d’Or” — September 7, 1853 — Le
Moniteur Universel (long extracts)
“Der Goldkaefer” — January 1846, Das Panorama (Prague, Bohemia), vol.
13, pp. 9-17 (This entry was provided by Ton Fafianie in an e-mail to the Poe Society dated March 31, 2018)
“Der Goldkaefer” — March 11-18, 1846, Augsburger Flora (Augsburg,
Germany) (reprinted from Das Panorama) (This entry was provided by Ton Fafianie in an e-mail to the Poe
Society dated March 31, 2018)
“Zolotoj zuk” — 1847, Novaja bibliotecka dlja vospitanija [New
Library for Education] (Russian translation, selected by P. Redkin) (illustrated ?)
“Amerikanskij iskatel’ kladov [An American Searcher for Treasure]” —
1848, Bibliotecka dlja ctenija [Library for Reading]
“Le Scarabee d’Or” — May 23-27, 1848 — La Démocratie
Pacifique (French translation signed “Isabelle Meunier”)
“Le Scarabee d’Or” - Part I — May 23, 1848
“Le Scarabee d’Or” - Part II — May 25, 1848
“Le Scarabee d’Or” - Part III — May 27, 1848
“Le Scarabee d’Or” — June 17-24, 1848 — Le Journal du
Loiret
“Le Scarabee d’Or” - Part I — June 17, 1848
“Le Scarabee d’Or” - Part II — June 20, 1848
“Le Scarabee d’Or” - Part III — June 22, 1848
“Le Scarabee d’Or” - Part IV — June 24, 1848
“Le scarabée d’Or” — (French translation by William L. Hughes)
“Le scarabée d’Or” — October 28, 1852 — Journal
des faits
“Le scarabée d’Or” — April 17-23, 1856 — Le
Mousquetaire
“Le scarabée d’Or” - Part I — April 17, 1856
“Le scarabée d’Or” - Part II — April 18, 1856
“Le scarabée d’Or” - Part III — April 19, 1856
“Le scarabée d’Or” - Part IV — April 20, 1856
“Le scarabée d’Or” - Part V — April 23, 1856
“El Escarabajo de Oro [The Beetle of Gold]” — 1858 — Newspaper of
Barcelona (Spanish translation)
“Der Goldkaefer, oder des Seeraubers Schatz [The Gold-Bug, or the Pirate's
Treasure]” — June 22 - July 10, 1859, Augsburger Flora (Augsburg, Germany) (possibly reprinted
from 1846) (This entry was provided by Ton Fafianie in an e-mail to the Poe Society dated March 31, 2018)
“Der Goldkäfer” — 1890 — Seltsame Gesdichten, Stuttgart:
Spemann (German translation by Alfred Mürenberg)
“The Gold Bug” — November 1902 — School World (Farmington, ME),
vol. XXIV, whole no. 46 (This printing is stated as abridged on the cover, with Poe’ name given incorrectly
as “Edgar Allen Poe”) (This periodical is noted as “Published Monthly [/] September to
June” and “Ten Numbers a Year — 35 cents”)
“Le Scarabée d’Or” — 1904 — Le Système du
Docteur Goudron et du Professeur Plume, Paris: Jules Rouff (French translation by Léonora C.
Herbert)
Coded Limericks . . . Accompanied by the Gold-Bug — 1925 — by S. B. Dickson, New
York: Simon and Schuster (a collection of fifty coded limericks, with instructions on how to decode them,
and a full printing of Poe's “The Gold-Bug,” in which a cryptograph, appropriately, plays a key
role. On the dust-jacket, the tale is noted as “A Famous Thriller by the Master of Detective
Stories.”)
“The Gold Insect” — 1932 — London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner &
Co., Ltd (a curious “translation” of the story into “Basic English” by A. P.
Rossiter. It includes an interesting “To the Reader” by C. K. Ogden, explaining the purpose of
creating this version of Poe's tale. A note by A. P. Rossiter, printed in the front of the book, is dated
“August, 1932.”)
“The Gold Bug” — October 5, 1949 — a radio show broadcast on the
Family Theater show, starring Howard McNear as Legand. (McNear would later achieve fame as
Mayberry's Floyd the barber on The Andy Griffith Show. This radio episode is available on CD as part
of a 6-CD set of “Smithsonian Legendary Performers,” issued in 2004. As was often the case with
dramatic presentations of Poe's works, the story has been modified.) Also in the show are Maureen
O‘Hara and Stephan McNally.
“The Gold-Bug” — June 1951 — Classics Illustrated (number
84) (a comic-book)
“Altin Böcek” — 1955 — Altin Böcek [Golden
Beetle], Varlik edition, Istanbul (Turkish translation) (the small softbound book has 109 pages, with a
cover featuring a repeated pattern of gold bugs. It features “The Gold-Bug” but includes seven other
tales.)
[The Golden Bug] — 1960 — Athens: Aghnia (Modern Greek translation by
Stelios A. Maratos) (86 pages)
“The Gold-Bug” — 1970 — a reading by Martin Donegan as volume V of
Short Stories of Edgar Allan Poe, issued on the CMS Records label (CMS-592)
Az aranybogar — 1977 — Budapest: Európa Könyvkiadó (Hugarian translation by
Pásztor Árpád, with illustrations by Pásztor Gábor. This book is a miniature,
measuring 2 inches high)
Le scarabée d’Or — 2008 — Paris: Casterman (French comic
book or graphic novel, adapted from Poe's story by Roger Seiter, designed and illustratred by Jean-Louis
Thouard)
“Mickey and the Golden Bug” — about 2010 (undated) — Mickey's
Tales of Edgar Allan Poe, Milan: Disney (part II, Literary Classics, no. 24) (A comic-strip adaptation of
Poe's tale The other story in this volume is “Mickey and the Hidden Letter,” and adaptation of
“The Purloined Letter.” Translations were also published in Italian, Spanish, German, Finnish, and
Danish.)
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Bibliography:
Anderson, Carl L., Poe in Northlight: The Scandanavian Response to His Life and Work,
Durham, NC: Duke Unversity Press, 1973.
Bandy, William T., “Poe's Secret Translator: Amédée Pichot,”
Modern Language Notes (May 1964), 79:277-280.
Blanch, Robert J., “The Background of Poe's ‘The Gold-Bug’,”
English Record (April 1966), 16:44-48.
Campbell, Killis, “Miscellaneous Notes on Poe,” Modern Language Notes,
March 1913, 28:65-69
Goldhurst, William, “Edgar Allan Poe and the Conquest of Death,” New Orleans
Review (1969), 2:316-319.
Gravely, W. H., Jr., “An Incipient Libel Suit Involving Poe,” Modern Language
Notes (May 1945), 60:308-311.
Hassell, J. Woodrow, Jr., “The Problem of Realism in ‘The Gold-Bug’,”
American Literature (May 1953), 25:179-192.
Heartman, Charles F. and James R. Canny, A Bibliography of First Printings of the Writings
of Edgar Allan Poe, Hattiesburg, MS: The Book Farm, 1943.
Hennelley, Mark M., Jr., “Le Grand Captain Kidder and His Bogus Bug,” Studies in
Short Fiction (1980), 17:77-79.
Holsapple, C. K., “Poe and Conradus,” American Literature (March 1932),
4:62-68.
Jebb, John F., “Race, Pirates, and Intellect: A Reading of Poe's ‘The
Gold-Bug’,” Edgar Allan Poe: Beyond Gothicism, ed. James M. Hutchisson, Newark: University of
Delaware Press, 2011, pp. 17-35.
Kempton, Daniel, “The Gold/Goole/Ghoul Bug,” ESQ: A Journal of the American
Renaissance (1987), 33:1-19.
Laverty, Carroll, “The Death's-Head on the Gold Bug,” American
Literature (March 1940), 12:88-91.
Mabbott, Thomas Ollive, “The Source of Poe's Motto for ‘The
Gold-Bug’,” Notes & Queries (Feb. 1953), 198:68.
Mabbott, Thomas Ollive, ed., The Collected Works of Edgar Allan Poe (Vols 2-3 Tales
and Sketches), Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1978.
Mathews, James W., “Legrand's Golden Vision: Meaning in ‘The Gold
Bug’,” CEA Critics: An Official Journal of the College English Association (1991), 53:23-29.
Phillipa, Elizabeth C., “ ‘The Right of Attendance‘: The Image of the Black
Man in the Works of Poe and Two of His Contemporaries,” in No Fairer Land: Studies in Southern Literature
before 1900, eds. J. Lasley Dameron, James W. Matthews, and James H. Justus, New York: Whitston, 1986, pp.
172-184.
Savoye, Jeffrey A., “Reconstructing Poe's Gold-Bug: An Examination of the
Composition and Printings,” Edgar Allan Poe Review (Fall 2007), 8:34-48.
Savoye, Jeffrey A., “Reconstructing ‘The Gold-Bug’: Additional Documents and
Records,” Edgar Allan Poe Review (Spring 2012), 13:112-120.
Smyth, Ellison A., “Poe's ‘The Gold-Bug’ from the Stand-point of an
Entomologist,” Sewanee Review (January 1910), 18:67-72.
St. Armand, Barton Levi, “Poe's Sober Mystification‘: The Uses of Alchemy in
‘The Gold-Bug’,” Poe Studies (June 1971), 4:1-7.
Stockton, Eric, “Poe's Use of Negro Dialect in ‘The Gold-Bug’,”
Studies in Honor of Charles Carpenter Fries, University of Michigan Press, 1964.
Toner, Jennifer DiLalla, “The ‘Remarkable Effect’ of 'silly
Words‘: Dialect and Signature in ‘The Gold-Bug’,” Arizona Quarterly (1993),
49:1-20.
Tschachler, Heinz, The Monetary Imagination of Edgar Allan Poe: Banking, Currency and
Politics in the Writings, Jefferson, NC and London: McFarland and Company, 2013.
Woodberry, George Edward, The Life of Edgar Allan Poe, Personal and Literary, 2 vols,
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1909.
Williams, Michael, “ ‘The Language of the Cipher‘: Interpretation in
the Gold-Bug,” American Literature (1982), 53:646-660.
Wyllie, John Cooke, “A List of the Texts of Poe's Tales,” Humanistic
Studies in Honor of John Calvin Metcalf, Charlottesville: University of Virginia, 1941, pp. 322-338.
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[S:0 - JAS] - Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - Works - Tales - The Gold-Bug