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Edgar Allan Poe — “The Gold-Bug”






Texts and Variant Texts

Reading copy:
  • “The Gold-Bug” — reading copy — based on Text 00

Manuscripts and Authorized Printings:
  • “The Gold-Bug” — about October 1842 — roll MS, not seen since 1843, and almost surely lost after printing, but presumably recorded in Text 02. 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 Gold-Bug” — 1843 — Dollar Newspaper — Text 02 (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)
  • “The Gold-Bug” — 1844-1845, presumed revised copy of the Dollar Newspaper, in preparation for TALES — Text 03
  • “The Gold-Bug” — 1845 — TALES — Text 04 (Mabbott text B)
  • “The Gold-Bug” — 1846-1849 — manuscript revisions in J. L. Graham copy of TALES — Text 05 (Mabbott text C)  (This is Mabbott's copy text)

Reprints:
  • “The Gold-Bug” — 1843 — Saturday Courier (reprinted from Text 02)
    • “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)
  • "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" — 1843 — the Volunteer (Montrose, PA) (reprinted from Text 02)
    • "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" — 1846-1847, pirated reprint in pamphlet form, London  (reprinted from Text 04)
  • "The Gold-Bug" — July 22, 1848 — the Boston Museum  (reprinted from Text 04)
  • "The Gold-Bug" — September 7, 1848 — the Maine Farmer (Augusta, ME)  (reprinted from Text 04)
  • "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" — 1850 — WORKS — Griswold merely reprints Text 02  (Mabbott text D)
  • "The Gold-Bug" — 1852 — Tales and Sketches: to which is added The Raven: A Poem, London, George Routledge & Co.
  • "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, pp. 1-46.) (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-Beetle" — 1855 — Tales of Mystery and Imagination, Halifax: Milner and Sowerby (pp. 1-41)
  • "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" — 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-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 Gold-Bug" - Part I — February 12, 1859
    • "The Gold-Bug" - Part II — February 19, 1859
  • "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" — October 31, 1883 — Swinton's Story-Teller: A Weekly of Choice Complete Tales (a general reprint)
  • “The Gold-Bug” — 1894-1895 —  The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, vol. 3: Tales, ed. G. E. Woodberry and E. C. Stedman, Chicago: Stone and Kimball (3:5-52)
  • “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" — April 1934 — Amazing Stories, vol. 8, no. 12.
  • “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)

Associated Material and Special versions:
  • "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" — 1853 — Nouvelles choisies d'Edgard A. Poë, Paris: Hachette
    • "Le Scarabée d'or" — September 7, 1853 — Le Moniteur Universel  (long extracts)
  • "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" — (French translation signed "Isabelle Meunier")
    • "Le Scarabee d'Or" — May 23-27, 1848 — La Démocratie Pacifique
      • "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
    • "Le scarabée d'or" — 1885 — Oeuvres Choisies d'Edgar Pöe, Paris: A. Hennuyer
  • "El Escarabajo de Oro [The Beetle of Gold]" — 1858 —  Newspaper of Barcelona  (Spanish translation)
  • "[The Gold-Bug]" — before 1868  (Unidentified Danish translation noted by Anderson, p. 15)
  • "[The Gold-Bug]" — 1868 — Phantastiske Fortaellinger [Fantastic Tales], Copenhagen  (Danish translation by Robert Watt, noted by Anderson, p. 15)
  • "La Scarabeo d'Oro" — 1876 — Racconti Incredibili, Milano, Italy: Tipografia Editrice Lombarda  (Italian translation, with several illustrations)
  • "[The Gold-Bug]" — 1881 — Underliga historier, Stockholm  (Swedish translation, noted by Anderson, p. 54)
  • "[The Gold-Bug]" — 1882 — Valda noveller, Stockholm  (Swedish translation, noted by Anderson, p. 54)
  • "Le Scarabée d'Or" — 1904 — Le Système du Docteur Goudron et du Professeur Plume, Paris: Jules Rouff  (French translation by Léonora C. Herbert)
  • "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.)
  • "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.)
  • 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)











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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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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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