"The Gold-Bug" is a

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

by American writer

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

published in 1843. The plot follows William Legrand, who becomes fixated on an unusual gold-colored bug he has discovered. His servant Jupiter fears that Legrand is going insane and goes to Legrand's friend, an unnamed narrator, who agrees to visit his old friend. Legrand pulls the other two into an adventure after deciphering a secret message that will lead to a

buried treasure Buried treasure is a literary trope commonly associated with depictions of pirates, alongside Vikings, criminals, and outlaws in the Old West. According to popular conception, these people often buried their stolen fortunes in remote places ...

. The story, set on

Sullivan's Island, South Carolina Sullivan's Island, historically known as O'Sullivan's Island, is a town and island in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States, at the entrance to Charleston Harbor, with a population of 1,791 at the 2010 census, and 1,891 people in 202 ...

, is often compared with Poe's "tales of

ratiocination Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing valid conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, religion, scien ...

" as an early form of

detective fiction Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an criminal investigation, investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around ...

. Poe became aware of the public's interest in

secret writing Steganography ( ) is the practice of representing information within another message or physical object, in such a manner that the presence of the concealed information would not be evident to an unsuspecting person's examination. In computing/ ...

in 1840 and asked readers to challenge his skills as a code-breaker. He took advantage of the popularity of

cryptography Cryptography, or cryptology (from "hidden, secret"; and ''graphein'', "to write", or ''-logy, -logia'', "study", respectively), is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of Adversary (cryptography), ...

as he was writing "The Gold-Bug", and the success of the story centers on one such

cryptogram A cryptogram is a type of puzzle that consists of a short piece of encrypted text. Generally the cipher used to encrypt the text is simple enough that the cryptogram can be solved by hand. Substitution ciphers where each letter is replaced by ...

. Modern critics have judged the characterization of Legrand's servant Jupiter as

racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...

, especially because of his dialect speech. Poe submitted "The Gold-Bug" as an entry to a writing contest sponsored by the ''Philadelphia Dollar Newspaper''. His story won the grand prize and was published in three installments, beginning in June 1843. The prize also included $100 (), probably the largest single sum that Poe received for any of his works. An instant success, "The Gold-Bug" was the most popular and widely read of Poe's prose works during his lifetime. It also helped popularize cryptograms and secret writing.

Plot

William Legrand has relocated from

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

to a remote cabin on Sullivan's Island,

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, after losing his family fortune, along with his

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

servant Jupiter. The story's narrator, Legrand's friend, visits him one evening and Legrand tells him of an unusual scarab-like beetle ('bug') he has collected that day. Legrand has lent it to an officer stationed at nearby

Fort Moultrie Fort Moultrie is a series of fortifications on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, built to protect the city of Charleston, South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina. The first fort, formerly named Fort Sullivan, built of Cabbage Pal ...

, but he draws a sketch of it and notes that its markings resemble a skull. When the narrator queries the accuracy of the drawing, Legrand becomes withdrawn and carefully locks it in his desk for safekeeping. Confused, the narrator takes his leave. A month later, Jupiter visits the narrator and asks him to come to the cabin immediately. When they arrive, Legrand insists that the bug will be the key to restoring his lost fortune. Declining to explain, he leads them on a night expedition to a prominent tree on the mainland, and has Jupiter climb it until he finds a skull nailed at the end of one branch. At Legrand's direction, Jupiter drops the bug through one eye socket, and Legrand lays out a line extending between the tree and the point at which the bug landed. Measuring a distance of fifty feet, he marks a spot and they begin to dig. After laboring for several hours and finding nothing, Legrand questions Jupiter and discovers that he had mistakenly dropped the bug through the skull's right eye socket rather than the left, resulting in the bug landing a few inches from where it should. He corrects the point, measures out a new distance of fifty feet, and the group dig at the new location. There, they unearth two skeletons and a chest packed with valuable gold coins and jewelry. Legrand explains that on the day he found the bug, Jupiter had picked up a nearby scrap of

parchment Parchment is a writing material made from specially prepared Tanning (leather), untanned skins of animals—primarily sheep, calves and goats. It has been used as a writing medium in West Asia and Europe for more than two millennia. By AD 400 ...

to wrap it in. Legrand kept the scrap and used it to sketch the bug. The narrator had been looking not at his sketch but at a rather similar image of a skull on the other side of the sheet, an image in

invisible ink Invisible ink, also known as security ink or sympathetic ink, is a substance used for writing, which is invisible either on application or soon thereafter, and can later be made visible by some means, such as heat or ultraviolet light. Invisibl ...

that was not initially visible but which was revealed by the heat of the fire burning on the

hearth A hearth () is the place in a home where a fire is or was traditionally kept for home heating and for cooking, usually constituted by a horizontal hearthstone and often enclosed to varying degrees by any combination of reredos (a low, partial ...

. Later study of the parchment showed it to contain a

substitution cipher In cryptography, a substitution cipher is a method of encrypting in which units of plaintext are replaced with the ciphertext, in a defined manner, with the help of a key; the "units" may be single letters (the most common), pairs of letters, t ...

, which Legrand deciphered as a set of directions for finding treasure buried by the pirate

Captain Kidd William Kidd (c. 1645 – 23 May 1701), also known as Captain William Kidd or simply Captain Kidd, was a Scottish-American privateer. Conflicting accounts exist regarding his early life, but he was likely born in Dundee and later settled in Ne ...

. He explains his working method in some detail. Legrand muses that the skeletons found with the treasure may be the remains of two members of Kidd's crew, who had buried the chest and were then killed to silence them.

Analysis

"The Gold-Bug" includes a simple substitution cipher. Though he did not invent "secret writing" or cryptography (he was probably inspired by an interest in

Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe (; born Daniel Foe; 1660 – 24 April 1731) was an English writer, merchant and spy. He is most famous for his novel ''Robinson Crusoe'', published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its number of translati ...

's ''

Robinson Crusoe ''Robinson Crusoe'' ( ) is an English adventure novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. Written with a combination of Epistolary novel, epistolary, Confessional writing, confessional, and Didacticism, didactic forms, the ...

''), Poe certainly popularized it during his time. To most people in the 19th century, cryptography was mysterious and those able to break the codes were considered gifted with nearly supernatural ability. Poe had drawn attention to it as a novelty over four months in the Philadelphia publication ''Alexander's Weekly Messenger'' in 1840. He had asked readers to submit their own substitution ciphers, boasting he could solve all of them with little effort. The challenge brought about, as Poe wrote, "a very lively interest among the numerous readers of the journal. Letters poured in upon the editor from all parts of the country." In July 1841, Poe published "A Few Words on Secret Writing" and, realizing the interest in the topic, wrote "The Gold-Bug" as one of the few pieces of literature to incorporate ciphers as part of the story. Poe's character Legrand's explanation of his ability to solve the cipher is very like Poe's explanation in "A Few Words on Secret Writing". Eyed Click Beetle Alaus oculatus 056428

The actual "gold-bug" in the story is not a real insect. Instead, Poe combined characteristics of two insects found in the area where the story takes place. The ''Callichroma splendidum'', though not technically a scarab but a species of

longhorn beetle The longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae), also known as long-horned or longicorns (whose larvae are often referred to as roundheaded borers), are a large family of beetles, with over 35,000 species described. Most species are characterized by Antenn ...

(Cerambycidae), has a gold head and slightly gold-tinted body. The black spots noted on the back of the fictional bug can be found on the '' Alaus oculatus'', a

click beetle Elateridae or click beetles (or "typical click beetles" to distinguish them from the related families Cerophytidae and Eucnemidae, which are also capable of clicking) are a family (biology), family of beetles. Other names include elaters, sna ...

also native to Sullivan's Island. Poe's depiction of the African servant Jupiter is often considered

stereotypical In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalization, generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can ...

and

. Jupiter is depicted as

superstitious A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs and p ...

and so lacking in intelligence that he cannot tell his left from his right. Poe scholar Scott Peeples summarizes Jupiter, as well as Pompey in "

A Predicament "A Predicament" is a humorous short story by Edgar Allan Poe, usually combined with its companion piece "How to Write a Blackwood Article". It was originally titled "The Scythe of Time". The paired stories parody the Gothic sensation tale, popul ...

", as a "minstrel-show caricature". Leonard Cassuto, who called Jupiter "one of Poe's most infamous black characters", emphasizes that the character has been

manumitted Manumission, or enfranchisement, is the act of freeing slaves Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and ...

but refuses to leave the side of his "Massa Will". He sums up Jupiter by noting, he is "a typical

Sambo Sambo may refer to: Places * Sambo, Angola, a commune in Tchicala Tcholohanga, Huambo Province, Angola * Sambo Creek, a village in Honduras People * Ferdy Sambo (born 1973), former Indonesian police general * Khem Sambo (1961–2011), Cambodi ...

: a laughing and japing comic figure whose doglike devotion is matched only by his stupidity". Poe probably included the character after being inspired by a similar one in ''Sheppard Lee'' (1836) by

Robert Montgomery Bird Robert Montgomery Bird (February 5, 1806 – January 23, 1854) was an American novelist, playwright, and physician. Early life and education Bird was born in New Castle, Delaware, on February 5, 1806.Ehrlich, Eugene and Gorton Carruth. ''The Oxfo ...

, which he had reviewed. Black characters in fiction during this time period were not unusual, but Poe's choice to give him a speaking role was. Critics and scholars, however, question if Jupiter's accent was authentic or merely comic relief, suggesting it was not similar to accents used by blacks in Charleston but possibly inspired by

Gullah The Gullah () are a subgroup of the African Americans, African American ethnic group, who predominantly live in the South Carolina Lowcountry, Lowcountry region of the U.S. states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida within ...

. Though the story is often included amongst the short list of detective stories by Poe, "The Gold-Bug" is not technically detective fiction because Legrand withholds the evidence until after the solution is given. Nevertheless, the Legrand character is often compared to Poe's fictional detective C. Auguste Dupin due to his use of "ratiocination". "Ratiocination", a term Poe used to describe Dupin's method, is the process by which Dupin detects what others have not seen or what others have deemed unimportant.

Publication history and reception

Poe wrote the short story in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, where he resided at various locations from 1838 to 1844. Poe originally sold "The Gold-Bug" to George Rex Graham for ''

Graham's Magazine ''Graham's Magazine'' was a nineteenth-century periodical based in Philadelphia established by George Rex Graham and published from 1840 to 1858. It was alternatively referred to as ''Graham's Lady's and Gentleman's Magazine'' (1841–1842, and J ...

'' for $52 () but asked for it back when he heard about a writing contest sponsored by Philadelphia's ''Dollar Newspaper''. Incidentally, Poe did not return the money to Graham and instead offered to make it up to him with reviews he would write. Poe won the grand prize; in addition to winning $100, the story was published in two installments on June 21 and June 28, 1843, in the newspaper. His $100 payment from the newspaper may have been the most he was paid for a single work. Anticipating a positive public response, the ''Dollar Newspaper'' took out a

copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, ...

on "The Gold-Bug" prior to publication. The story was republished in three installments in the ''Saturday Courier'' in Philadelphia on June 24, July 1, and July 8; the last two appeared on the front page and included illustrations by F. O. C. Darley. Further reprintings in United States newspapers made "The Gold-Bug" Poe's most widely read short story during his lifetime. By May 1844, Poe reported that it had circulated 300,000 copies, though he was probably not paid for these reprints. It also helped increase his popularity as a lecturer. One lecture in Philadelphia after "The Gold-Bug" was published drew such a large crowd that hundreds were turned away. As Poe wrote in a letter in 1848, it "made a great noise." He would later compare the public success of "The Gold-Bug" with "

The Raven "The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. First published in January 1845, the poem is often noted for its musicality, stylized language and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a distraught lover who is paid a visit ...

", though he admitted "the bird beat the bug". The ''Public Ledger'' in Philadelphia called it "a capital story". George Lippard wrote in the ''Citizen Soldier'' that the story was "characterised by thrilling interest and a graphic though sketchy power of description. It is one of the best stories that Poe ever wrote." ''Graham's Magazine'' printed a review in 1845 which called the story "quite remarkable as an instance of intellectual acuteness and subtlety of reasoning". Thomas Dunn English wrote in the ''Aristidean'' in October 1845 that "The Gold-Bug" probably had a greater circulation than any other American story and "perhaps it is the most ''ingenious'' story Mr. POE has written; but... it is not at all comparable to the ' Tell-tale Heart'—and more especially to '

Ligeia "Ligeia" () is an early short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1838. The story follows an unnamed narrator and his wife Ligeia, a beautiful and intelligent raven-haired woman. She falls ill, composes " The Conqueror W ...

'". Poe's friend

Thomas Holley Chivers Thomas Holley Chivers (October 18, 1809 – December 18, 1858) was an American doctor-turned-poet from the state of Georgia. He is best known for his friendship with Edgar Allan Poe and his controversial defense of the poet after his death. Bo ...

said that "The Gold-Bug" ushered in "the Golden Age of Poe's Literary Life". The popularity of the story also brought controversy. Within a month of its publication, Poe was accused of conspiring with the prize committee by Philadelphia's ''Daily Forum''. The publication called "The Gold-Bug" an "''abortion''" and "''unmitigated trash''" worth no more than $15 (). Poe filed for a

libel Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...

lawsuit against editor Francis Duffee. It was later dropped and Duffee apologized for suggesting Poe did not earn the $100 prize. Editor John Du Solle accused Poe of stealing the idea for "The Gold-Bug" from "Imogine; or the Pirate's Treasure", a story written by a schoolgirl named Miss Sherburne. "The Gold-Bug" was republished as the first story in the Wiley & Putnam collection of Poe's ''Tales'' in June 1845, followed by " The Black Cat" and ten other stories. The success of this collection inspired the first French translation of "The Gold-Bug", published in November 1845 by Alphonse Borghers in the ''Revue Britannique'' under the title, "Le Scarabée d'or", becoming the first literal translation of a Poe story into a foreign language. In the French version, the enciphered message remained in English, with a parenthesized translation supplied alongside its solution. The story was translated into Russian from that version two years later, marking Poe's literary debut in that country. In 1856,

Charles Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet, essayist, translator and art critic. His poems are described as exhibiting mastery of rhythm and rhyme, containing an exoticism inherited from the Romantics ...

published his translation of the tale in the first volume of ''Histoires extraordinaires''. Baudelaire was very influential in introducing Poe's work to Europe and his translations became the definitive renditions throughout the continent.

Influence

"The Gold-Bug" inspired

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...

in his novel about treasure-hunting, ''

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure a ...

'' (1883). Stevenson acknowledged this influence: "I broke into the gallery of Mr. Poe... No doubt the skeleton n my novelis conveyed from Poe." "The Gold-Bug" also inspired

Leo Marks Leopold Samuel Marks, (24 September 1920 – 15 January 2001) was an English writer, screenwriter, and cryptographer. During the Second World War he headed the codes office supporting resistance agents in occupied Europe for the secret Special ...

to become interested in cryptography at age 8 when he found the book in his father’s bookshop at 84 Charing Cross Road. Marks would go on to lead Britain’s code-breaking efforts during World War Two as a member of the

Special Operations Executive Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe and to aid local Resistance during World War II, resistance movements during World War II. ...

(SOE). Poe played a major role in popularizing cryptograms in newspapers and magazines in his time period and beyond. William F. Friedman, America's foremost cryptologist, initially became interested in cryptography after reading "The Gold-Bug" as a child—interest that he later put to use in deciphering

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

PURPLE Purple is a color similar in appearance to violet light. In the RYB color model historically used in the arts, purple is a secondary color created by combining red and blue pigments. In the CMYK color model used in modern printing, purple is ...

code during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. "The Gold-Bug" also includes the first use of the term ''cryptograph'' (as opposed to ''cryptogram''). Poe had been stationed at

from November 1827 through December 1828 and utilized his personal experience at Sullivan's Island in recreating the setting for "The Gold-Bug". It was also here that Poe first heard the stories of pirates like Captain Kidd.Poe, Harry Lee. ''Edgar Allan Poe: An Illustrated Companion to His Tell-Tale Stories''. New York: Metro Books, 2008: 35. The residents of Sullivan's Island embrace this connection to Poe and have named their public library after him. Local legend in Charleston says that the poem "

Annabel Lee "Annabel Lee" is the last complete poem composed by American author Edgar Allan Poe. Like many of Poe's poems, it explores the theme of the death of a beautiful woman.Meyers, Jeffrey. ''Edgar Allan Poe: His Life and Legacy''. New York: Cooper Squ ...

" was also inspired by Poe's time in South Carolina. Poe also set part of " The Balloon-Hoax" and " The Oblong Box" in this vicinity. O. Henry alludes to the stature of "The Gold-Bug" within the buried-treasure genre in his short story "Supply and Demand". One character learns that the main characters are searching for treasure, and he asks them if they have been reading Edgar Allan Poe. The title of

Richard Powers Richard Powers (born June 18, 1957) is an American novelist whose works explore the effects of modern science and technology. His novel ''The Echo Maker'' won the 2006 National Book Award for Fiction.The Gold Bug Variations'' is derived from "The Gold-Bug" and from

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...

's composition ''

Goldberg Variations The ''Goldberg Variations'' (), BWV 988, is a musical composition for keyboard by Johann Sebastian Bach, consisting of an aria and a set of thirty variations. First published in 1741, it is named after Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, who may ...

'', and the novel incorporates part of the short story's plot.

Adaptations

The story proved popular enough in its day that a stage version opened on August 8, 1843. The production was put together by Silas S. Steele and was performed at the American Theatre in Philadelphia. The editor of the Philadelphia newspaper ''The Spirit of the Times'' said that the performance "dragged, and was rather tedious. The frame work was well enough, but wanted filling up". In film and television, an adaptation of the work appeared on '' Your Favorite Story'' on February 1, 1953 (Season 1, Episode 4). It was directed by

Robert Florey Robert Florey (September 14, 1900 – May 16, 1979) was a French-American director, screenwriter, film journalist and actor. Florey directed more than 50 films, the best known likely being the Marx Brothers first feature ''The Cocoanuts'' (1929 ...

with the teleplay written by Robert Libott. A later adaptation of the work appeared on ''

ABC Weekend Special ''ABC Weekend Special'' is a weekly 30-minute American television anthology series for children that aired Saturday mornings on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from September 10, 1977 to August 30, 1997, which featured a wide variety of stori ...

'' on February 2, 1980 (Season 3, Episode 7). This version was directed by

Robert Fuest Robert Fuest (30 September 1927 – 21 March 2012) was an English film and television director, screenwriter, production designer, and painter, who worked mostly in the horror, fantasy and suspense genres. His notable works include the ...

with the teleplay written by Edward Pomerantz. A Spanish feature film adaptation of the work appeared in 1983 under the title ''En busca del dragón dorado''. It was written and directed by

Jesús Franco Jesús Franco Manera (12 May 1930 – 2 April 2013), also commonly known as Jess Franco, was a Spanish filmmaker, composer, and actor, known as a highly prolific director of low-budget exploitation and B-movies. He worked in many different gen ...

using the alias "James P. Johnson". "The Gold Bug" episode on the 1980 ''

'' series starred

Roberts Blossom Roberts Scott Blossom (March 25, 1924July 8, 2011) was an American poet and character actor of theatre, film, and television. He is best known for his roles as Old Man Marley in ''Home Alone'' (1990) and as Ezra Cobb in the horror film '' Derange ...

as Legrand,

Geoffrey Holder Geoffrey Lamont Holder (August 1, 1930 – October 5, 2014) was a Trinidadian-American actor, dancer, musician, director, choreographer, and artist. He was a principal dancer for the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, before his film career began in 19 ...

as Jupiter, and

Anthony Michael Hall Anthony Michael Hall (born Michael Anthony Thomas Charles Hall; April 14, 1968) is an American actor, producer and comedian. After his film debut in ''Six Pack (film), Six Pack'' (1982) and a supporting role as Russell "Rusty" Griswold in ''Nat ...

. It won three

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...

s: 1) Outstanding Children's Anthology/Dramatic Programming, Linda Gottlieb (executive producer), Doro Bachrach (producer); 2) Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children's Programming, Steve Atha (makeup and hair designer); and, 3) Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children's Programming, Alex Thomson (cinematographer). It was a co-production of Learning Corporation of America. In 2001, Gregory Evans adapted the story for a

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...

drama. Directed by

Ned Chaillet Edward William Chaillet, III ( ; born 29 November 1944) is a radio drama Producer (radio), producer and director, writer and journalist. Chaillet, American by birth, was born in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, but is a "native of Washington" acco ...

, it told the story from Jupiter's point of view and presented him as the protagonist; he was played by

Rhashan Stone Rhashan Stone (born November 3, 1969) is an American-born British actor and comedian based in the UK. He has had main roles in series such as ''Bodies'' (2004–2005), ''Mutual Friends'' (2008), '' Strike Back'' (2010–2012), ''The Smoke'' (201 ...

John Sharian John Sharian (born John Shahnazarian; 1964) is an English actor of Armenian descent. He appeared in the film '' The Machinist'' (2004). Education Sharian attended the Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut and later Kenyon College in Gambier, Oh ...

played Legrand.

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * *

External links

"The Gold-Bug"
– Full text from the ''Dollar Newspaper'', 1843 (with two illustrations by F. O. C. Darley)
The Gold-Bug – Introduction to Cryptography
– The story, how to solve it, and Poe's essay on secret writing, o
Cipher Machines and Cryptology

from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

Library * — includes "The Gold-Bug"
"The Gold-Bug" with annotated vocabulary
at PoeStories.com

at th
Edgar Allan Poe Society
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gold-Bug, The 1843 short stories Fiction about cryptography Books about piracy Short stories adapted into films Short stories by Edgar Allan Poe Works originally published in American newspapers Buried treasure South Carolina in fiction