The Gold-Bug

By Edgar Allan Poe

The Gold-Bug is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe published in 1843. The plot centers on a secret message that will lead to a buried treasure. Aware of the growing popularity of cryptography and code-breaking, Poe submitted this story to a writing contest sponsored by a Philadelphia newspaper. Winning the grand prize of $100, the story was then published in three installments beginning in June 1843. Set on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, the story is seen as an early form of detective fiction. It was one of the most popular of Poe's stories during his lifetime.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dreamscape Media
• Release date: Jul 25, 2017
• ISBN: 9781974995257

Edgar Allan Poe

Born on January 19, 1809, Edgar Allan Poe has become synonymous with writing described as mysterious and macabre. Also credited with originating the detective-fiction genre, Poe is considered part of the American Romantic Movement. A very celebrated poet, short story writer, and Gothic novelist, Poe died in 1849.

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THE GOLD-BUG

By

EDGAR ALLAN POE

This edition published by Dreamscape Media LLC, 2017

www.dreamscapeab.com * [e-mail]

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About Edgar Allan Poe:

Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is widely regarded as a central figure of Romanticism in the United States and American literature as a whole, and he was one of the country's earliest practitioners of the short story. Poe is generally considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre and is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction. He was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career.

Poe was born in Boston, the second child of two actors. His father abandoned the family in 1810, and his mother died the following year. Thus orphaned, the child was taken in by John and Frances Allan of Richmond, Virginia. They never formally adopted him, but Poe was with them well into young adulthood. Tension developed later as John Allan and Edgar repeatedly clashed over debts, including those incurred by gambling, and the cost of secondary education for the young man. Poe attended the University of Virginia for one semester but left due to lack of money. Poe quarreled with Allan over the funds for his education and enlisted in the Army in 1827 under an assumed name. It was at this time that his publishing career began, albeit humbly, with the anonymous collection of poems Tamerlane and Other Poems (1827), credited only to a Bostonian. With the death of Frances Allan in 1829, Poe and Allan reached a temporary rapprochement. However, Poe later failed as an officer cadet at West Point, declaring a firm wish to be a poet and writer, and he ultimately parted ways with John Allan.

Poe switched his focus to prose and spent the next several years working for literary journals and periodicals, becoming known for his own style of literary criticism. His work forced him to move among several cities, including Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City. In Richmond in 1836, he married Virginia Clemm, his 13-year-old cousin. In January 1845, Poe published his poem The Raven to instant success. His wife died of tuberculosis two years after its publication. For years, he had been planning to produce his own journal The Penn (later renamed The Stylus), though he died before it could be produced. Poe died in Baltimore on October 7, 1849, at age 40; the cause of his death is unknown and has been variously attributed to alcohol, brain congestion, cholera, drugs, heart disease, rabies, suicide, tuberculosis, and other agents.

Poe and his works influenced literature in the United States and around the world, as well as in specialized fields such as cosmology and cryptography. Poe and his work appear throughout popular culture in literature, music, films, and television. A number of his homes are dedicated museums today. The Mystery Writers of America present an annual award known as the Edgar Award for distinguished work in the mystery genre.

Source: Wikipedia

The Gold-Bug

What ho! what ho! this fellow is dancing mad!

He hath been bitten by the Tarantula.

—All in the Wrong.

MANY years ago, I contracted an intimacy with a Mr. William Legrand. He was of an ancient Huguenot family, and had once been wealthy; but a series of misfortunes had reduced him to want. To avoid the mortification consequent upon his disasters, he left New Orleans, the city of his forefathers, and took up his residence at Sullivan’s Island, near Charleston, South Carolina. This Island is a very singular one. It consists of little else than the sea sand, and is about three miles long. Its breadth at no point exceeds a quarter of a mile. It is separated from the main land by a scarcely perceptible creek, oozing its way through a wilderness of reeds and slime, a favorite resort of the marsh hen. The vegetation, as might be supposed, is scant, or at least dwarfish. No trees of any magnitude are to be seen. Near the western extremity, where Fort Moultrie

Reviews for The Gold-Bug

[Gabriella Fitzgerald · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I didn't find much meaning in it, to be honest, but the reading was easy and entertaining for me. I liked the characters' reactions and the way the beetle was described, a story by Edgar Allan Poe that is not boring. (Translated from Spanish)

[AntonioAndrade · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Poe has always been, in my opinion, misclassified as horror; the narrative impeccability of his stories and the suspense inherent in them have earned him a good place in universal literature. (Translated from Spanish)

[JorgeGLopez · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Although it is a short and straightforward story, it gives you the feeling that something is missing to close certain points. It is simple. (Translated from Spanish)

[Jozu · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Gold Bug is a story that reminds us how a problem can be more or less easy depending on the approach we take. Many times, the answers require more reasoning than sophisticated methods. An excellent tale. (Translated from Spanish)

[taychaser · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I still don't understand why I never read Poe before; I love his originality, it's simply extraordinary, all his works are fantastic! (Translated from Spanish)

[JorgeLu21 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Por's imagination is astounding, it takes you to soar through a world of suspense, to desire to know what will happen next at the end of his tale, what goes on in his mind, where all that genius came from. (Translated from Spanish)

[mariabv2012 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Poe never disappoints me. This story tells the tale of the encounter with a rare species of beetle that appears to be made of gold. The encounter with the beetle and also with a piece of old, dirty, and wrinkled parchment help one of our protagonists to discover and decipher the clues to find a treasure hidden and buried by pirates. I recommend it 100%.

March 22, 2021 (Translated from Spanish)

[lautii13 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the hundreds that I liked the most by Poe, it keeps you interested in the story the whole time, adds a bit of humor to this story, and always keeps you in suspense about what might happen. (Translated from Spanish)

[Psicocabra · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It surprised me for the worse. Above all, The Gold Bug seemed to me a work of self-indulgence and self-exaltation of Poe's knowledge in cryptography.

I value the text as a historical indicator of the peak of cryptography as a scientific discipline, but little more. (Translated from Spanish)

[Jovi · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very good story or short tale that showcases the origins of later brilliant works of literature. Its composition and development mark a clear and easy-to-follow structure that leads you to trace the steps of the protagonists, focusing on the events and thoughts until reaching them. The stories of Auguste Dupin are marvelous, a great predecessor of the detective and investigator genre like Sherlock Holmes. Very entertaining and recommended. (Translated from Spanish)

[fdocruzr · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This great mystery adventure captivates you and creates a liking for stories with clues searching!! (Translated from Spanish)

[Katara004 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

To be a story from the 19th century and written by Edgar Allan Poe, it surprised me quite a bit. A mystery story with a very pleasant pace. The inferences I made throughout this book were returned to me in a gratifying, though not spectacular, way. A short and recommended tale. (Translated from Spanish)

[Minuto · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was 8 years old when I read this book. Of course, I liked it. It sparked my passion for epistemology, and since then I turned studying into a vice. I think it's a great story. I recommend it even though I don't believe this is a review... (Translated from Spanish)

[Sary25 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A treasure discovery, cryptography, a story of a pirate... This story has it all. (Translated from Spanish)

[RomelBaptista · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Short, simple, beautiful. (Translated from Spanish)

[March Delgado · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Challenge 10 completed: Read a classic. Although the prose is wonderful and the dialogues very clever, I found the three stories to be somewhat inaccessible and the plot bland. I felt outside the book the entire time. It's not the best I've read from Poe; I miss that atmosphere, that spark, which was present, for example, in "The Fall of the House of Usher." Honestly, I don't recommend it. (Translated from Spanish)

[Amanda1987 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When I started reading it, I thought, "Uff, I'm not getting into the story," and I said I wasn't going to like it. But as I progressed, I started to enjoy it and became immersed, especially in the part about the cryptograms. A short but entertaining story. (Translated from Spanish)

[ItzelHernndezAranda · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Gold Bug is a story that makes you ponder a lot; it is simple but definitely leaves you thinking. It is one of my favorite tales by Edgar Allan Poe. (Translated from Spanish)

[EstherEst ?‍♀️??‍♂️ · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

So far, this is the one I have liked the least among Poe's stories or tales. (Translated from Spanish)

[Dedos de Dedalo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A work more typical of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in which Poe narrates the obsession of a certain character with a mystery that will keep us on the edge of our seats until the end, and in which every detail plays a crucial role. (Translated from Spanish)

[Pamelitamia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This short work of mystery and attraction shows us the story of three characters: the narrator, Jupiter, and William Legrand. When they find a beetle, they come across a worn-out parchment, which may seem unimportant at first, but it contains encrypted codes that will lead them on a quest for treasure. (Translated from Spanish)

[Marien Vega · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not much can be said that hasn't already been written; Edgar Allan Poe is a genius and his stories are very good. (Translated from Spanish)

[BettyCamacho · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

All of Poe's tales retain their mystery that characterizes him as one of the best writers. (Translated from Spanish)

[SaraVenialgo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A brief story, but extremely entertaining.

Since I didn't know anything about the story before starting, except the title and the author's name, I got quite confused; I literally didn't know what was happening, so I felt the need to read reviews XD.

Anyway, I didn't like it as much as The Black Cat and Berenice, but it was quite good; it had its dose of necessary mystery and that something that Poe's writings usually evoke in me. (Translated from Spanish)

[Américo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It shows us Poe's genius in his aspect as a cryptographer: investigating mysteries and deciphering hidden messages. Engaging read. (Translated from Spanish)

[JUAN PEDRO PABLO · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The work of Edgar Allan Poe that plays with the search for a treasure and a golden scarab is part of the clue to find it. In this short novel, which seems more like an adventure, Edgar Allan Poe manages to introduce mystery. Its reading is enjoyable and quick, and the ending is surprising. I recommend it with my eyes closed... but with one open to be able to read. (Translated from Spanish)

[DaniBenitez · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I don't have much to say, it's short but very good. It's about discovering a treasure through a cryptogram (which I didn't quite understand), at first it confused me a bit, but by about halfway through, things quickly became clear, so with close attention, it's a good story. (Translated from Spanish)

[Guillermo VII · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Master of handling fantastic elements, inventor of the detective novel, clever builder of unsettling environments in which disturbing presences move, E. A. Poe, gradually immersing us in the horror inseparable from being, invites us to try to understand why certainty can only be found in dreams." (Translated from Spanish)

[Juan Jose · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A recommended work. (Translated from Spanish)

[MAGARCIA · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In my opinion, the best suspense story I have ever read, not only for the blatant desperation with which one identifies with the narrator but also for the excellent twist of events. (Translated from Spanish)