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Title: The Captain of the Polestar

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Title: The Captain of the Polestar Title Record # 603313
Author: Arthur Conan Doyle
Date: 1883-01-00
Type: SHORTFICTION
Length: novelette
Webpages: YouTube
Language: English
Synopsis: The diary of the doctor of a fishing vessel in the polar seas off the coast of Greenland records the determination of the captain to continue the voyage despite the fight against the weather and the depredations of a strange beast seen only in brief glimpses.
User Rating: None. Including variants and translations: 7.00 (1 vote) Your vote: Not cast VOTE
Current Tags: epistolary (1), mad captain (1), first person point of view (1), deadly creature (1), ice fields (1), north polar seas (1), ship's doctor (1), diary (1) Add Tags

Other Titles

Variant Titles Translations
Year Title
1883 The Captain of the "Pole-Star"
1890 The Captain of the "Pole-Star" [as by A. Conan Doyle]
1925 The Captain of the "Polestar" [as by A. Conan Doyle]
1931 The Captain of the "Pole Star"
1967 The Captain of the 'Pole Star' [as by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]
1971 The Captain of the "Pole-Star" [as by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]
1974 The Captain of the 'Polestar' [as by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]
1979ⓘIn early editions, the name "McAlister" was printed with a superscript c which has often been mistaken for an apostrophe; therefore, in a number of reprints and secondary sources, it appears as "M'Alister" (or, in this case, "M'Allister").
 The Captain of the Polestar: Being an Extract from the Singular Journal of John M'Allister Ray, Student of Medicine
1991 The Captain of the Pole-Star [as by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]
2001 The Captain of the Pole-star [as by Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle]
2004 The Captain of the Polestar [as by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]
2010 The Captain of the Pole-Star
2016 The Captain of the 'Polestar'
2016 The Captain of the Pole Star [as by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]
Year Language Title
1981ⓘTranslated by François de Gail.
 French Le capitaine de l' « Étoile Polaire »
1983ⓘTranslated by Bernd Seligmann
 German Der Kapitän der ›Polestar‹
1987ⓘTranslated by Gianni Pilo and Daniela Galdo
 Italian Il capitano della "Stella Polare"
1989ⓘTranslated by Bernard Tourville
 French Le capitaine de l' "Étoile polaire" [as by Conan Doyle]
1992ⓘTranslated by Sari Kallioinen and/or Anita Puumalainen
 Finnish Polestarin kapteeni [as by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]
2011ⓘTranslated by Pócsi István
 Hungarian A Sarkcsillag kapitánya

Publications

Not displaying translations • Display all variants and translations • Do not display variants or translations

Title Date Author/Editor Publisher/Pub. Series ISBN/Catalog ID Price Pages Format Type Cover Artist Verif
Temple Bar, January 1883 1883-01-00 ed. Editors of Temple Bar        
unknown?The publication record was created from a secondary source and the publication format is unknown.
 mag  
Dreamland and Ghostland: Volume III 1887-10-00 ed. uncredited George Redway     308
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 anth  
Ghost Stories and Presentiments 1888-11-00 ed. uncredited George Redway     308
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 anth  
The Captain of the Polestar and Other Tales 1890-00-00 A. Conan Doyle Longmans, Green and Co.  
6/-?Prior to decimilisation (1968-1971), UK books were priced in shillings, or shillings and pence, where 20 shillings equals one pound and 12 old pence equals one shilling. Shillings were indicated with a variety of suffixes, e.g. 3s, 3', 3", 3/ all mean 3 shillings. Any number after that is additional pence, usually 6 (half a shilling) but sometimes 3 or 9 (a quarter of a shilling or three-quarters of a shilling).
 315+
14
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 coll Checkmark
The Great Keinplatz Experiment and Other Stories 1894-09-03 A. Conan Doyle Rand McNally & Company (Globe Library #188) 188   232
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 coll Checkmark
The Captain of the Pole-Star 1914-00-00 Arthur Conan Doyle Hodder & Stoughton (Sevenpenny Library)  
-/7?Prior to decimilisation (1968-1971), UK books were priced in shillings, or shillings and pence, where 20 shillings equals one pound and 12 old pence equals one shilling. Shillings were indicated with a variety of suffixes, e.g. 3s, 3', 3", 3/ all mean 3 shillings. Any number after that is additional pence, usually 6 (half a shilling) but sometimes 3 or 9 (a quarter of a shilling or three-quarters of a shilling).
 258
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 coll Checkmark
The Dealings of Captain Sharkey: And Other Tales of Pirates 1925-00-00 A. Conan Doyle George H. Doran (The Conan Doyle Stories #2)  
$0.90?$: US dollar
 v+
260
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 coll  
The Conan Doyle Stories 1929-00-00 Arthur Conan Doyle John Murray  
20/-?Prior to decimilisation (1968-1971), UK books were priced in shillings, or shillings and pence, where 20 shillings equals one pound and 12 old pence equals one shilling. Shillings were indicated with a variety of suffixes, e.g. 3s, 3', 3", 3/ all mean 3 shillings. Any number after that is additional pence, usually 6 (half a shilling) but sometimes 3 or 9 (a quarter of a shilling or three-quarters of a shilling).
 xii+
1201
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 coll  
Ghost Stories, April 1931 1931-04-00 ed. Harold Hersey Good Story Magazine Co.  
$0.25?$: US dollar
 132
pulp?Magazine using the common pulp size: 6.5" by 9.5". For ISFDB purposes this may also be used as a designation for the quality of the paper. There are some untrimmed pulps that are as large as 8" by 11.75
 mag Dalton Stevens  
The Conan Doyle Stories 1939-00-00 Arthur Conan Doyle John Murray     xii+
1201
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 coll  
The Conan Doyle Stories 1940-00-00 Arthur Conan Doyle John Murray     xii+
1201
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 coll  
The Conan Doyle Stories 1945-00-00 Arthur Conan Doyle John Murray     xii+
1201
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 coll  
The Conan Doyle Stories 1949-00-00 Arthur Conan Doyle John Murray  
7/6?Prior to decimilisation (1968-1971), UK books were priced in shillings, or shillings and pence, where 20 shillings equals one pound and 12 old pence equals one shilling. Shillings were indicated with a variety of suffixes, e.g. 3s, 3', 3", 3/ all mean 3 shillings. Any number after that is additional pence, usually 6 (half a shilling) but sometimes 3 or 9 (a quarter of a shilling or three-quarters of a shilling).
 xii+
1201
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 coll  
The Conan Doyle Stories 1951-00-00 Arthur Conan Doyle John Murray     xii+
1201
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 coll  
The Conan Doyle Stories 1956-00-00 Arthur Conan Doyle John Murray     xii+
1201
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 coll  
The Conan Doyle Stories 1960-00-00 Arthur Conan Doyle John Murray     xii+
1201
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 coll  
Horror Times Ten 1967-06-00 ed. Alden H. Norton Berkley Medallion X1414
$0.60?$: US dollar
 176
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
 anth  
Horror Times Ten 1968-06-00 ed. Alden H. Norton Berkley Medallion X1414
$0.60?$: US dollar
 176
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
 anth  
Horror Times Ten 1971-12-00 ed. Alden H. Norton Berkley Medallion 0-425-01414-2
$0.60?$: US dollar
 176
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
 anth Checkmark
Horror Times Ten 1972-02-00 ed. Alden H. Norton Berkley Medallion 0-425-01414-2
$0.60?$: US dollar
 176
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
 anth  
Sea Tales of Terror 1974-08-00 ed. J. J. Strating Fontana (Fontana Tales of Terror) 0-00-613504-8
£0.35?£: UK pound
 188
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
 anth Justin Todd Checkmark
Sea Tales of Terror 1975-05-00 ed. J. J. Strating Fontana (Fontana Tales of Terror) 0-00-613504-8
£0.45?£: UK pound
 188
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
 anth Justin Todd Checkmark
The Best Supernatural Tales of Arthur Conan Doyle 1979-00-00 Arthur Conan Doyle Dover Publications 0-486-23725-7
$6.95?$: US dollar
 xiv+
302
tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.
 coll Lida Moser Checkmark
The Best Supernatural Tales of Arthur Conan Doyle 1979-08-00 Arthur Conan Doyle Dover Publications 0-486-23725-7
$4.00?$: US dollar
 xiv+
302
tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.
 coll Lida Moser Checkmark
The Supernatural Tales of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 1988-04-00 Arthur Conan Doyle W. Foulsham & Co. 0-572-01453-8
£12.95?£: UK pound
 272
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 coll  
The Best Horror Stories of Arthur Conan Doyle 1989-03-00 Arthur Conan Doyle Academy Chicago 0-89733-265-2
$6.95?$: US dollar
 vi+
294
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
 coll  
The Best Supernatural Tales of Arthur Conan Doyle 1989-06-00 Arthur Conan Doyle Amereon House 0-8488-0752-9
$30.95?$: US dollar
 xiv+
302
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 coll  
Victorian Ghost Stories: An Oxford Anthology 1991-00-00 ed. Michael Cox, R. A. Gilbert Oxford University Press 0-19-214202-X
$24.95?$: US dollar
 xx +
497
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 anth Atkinson Grimshaw Checkmark
Victorian Ghost Stories: An Oxford Anthology 1991-00-00 ed. Michael Cox, R. A. Gilbert Oxford University Press 0-19-214202-X   xx +
497
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 anth Atkinson Grimshaw  
Spooky Sea Stories 1991-00-00 ed. Frank D. McSherry, Jr., Charles G. Waugh Yankee Books 0-89909-337-X
$11.95?$: US dollar
 xvii+
246
tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.
 anth Anthony Bacon Venti  
Victorian Ghost Stories: An Oxford Anthology 1991-10-00 ed. Michael Cox, R. A. Gilbert Oxford University Press 0-19-214202-X
£16.95?£: UK pound
 497
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 anth Atkinson Grimshaw  
Victorian Ghost Stories: An Oxford Anthology 1991-10-00 ed. Michael Cox, R. A. Gilbert Oxford University Press / BOMC  
$24.95?$: US dollar
 528
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 anth  
Victorian Ghost Stories: An Oxford Anthology 1992-10-00 ed. Michael Cox, R. A. Gilbert Oxford University Press 0-19-282999-8
£7.99?£: UK pound
 497
tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.
 anth Victor Prouvé  
Victorian Ghost Stories: An Oxford Anthology 1992-10-00 ed. Michael Cox, R. A. Gilbert Oxford University Press / QPBC  
$13.95?$: US dollar
 528
tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.
 anth  
Sea-Cursed: Thirty Terrifying Tales of the Deep 1994-05-00 ed. Stefan Dziemianowicz, Martin H. Greenberg, T. Liam McDonald Barnes & Noble Books 1-56619-191-2
$9.98?$: US dollar
 xii+
545
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 anth Lynn J. Binder Checkmark
The Supernatural Tales of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 2000-00-00 Arthur Conan Doyle Gramercy Books 0-517-16201-6
$8.99?$: US dollar
 272
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 coll  
Classic Tales of the Supernatural 2001-00-00 ed. Robin Brockman Arcturus Publishing 1-84193-013-X   519
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
 anth Paul Ashby Checkmark
Great Ghost Stories: 34 Classic Tales of the Supernatural 2002-00-00 ed. Robin Brockman Gramercy Books 0-517-22095-4
$14.95?$: US dollar
 519
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 anth Paul Ashby  
The Oxford Book of Victorian Ghost Stories 2003-00-00 ed. Michael Cox, R. A. Gilbert Oxford University Press 0-19-280447-2
£9.99?£: UK pound
 xx +
497
tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.
 anth Checkmark
The Wordsworth Book of Horror Stories 2004-00-00 ed. uncredited Wordsworth Editions 1-84022-056-2   1149
tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.
 anth Checkmark
The Captain of the 'Pole-Star': Weird and Imaginative Fiction 2004-05-00 Arthur Conan Doyle Ash-Tree Press 1-55310-068-9
C$60.00?C$: Canadian dollar
 xxxviii+
460
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 coll Paul Lowe  
The Best Horror Stories of Arthur Conan Doyle 2005-00-00 Arthur Conan Doyle Academy Chicago 0-89733-265-2
$17.95?$: US dollar
 294
tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.
 coll  
H. P. Lovecraft's Book of the Supernatural: Classic Tales of the Macabre 2006-08-01 ed. Stephen Jones Pegasus Books 978-1-60598-201-4    
ebook?Used for all electronic formats, including but not limited to EPUB, eReader, HTML, iBook, Mobipocket, and PDF.
 anth Randy Broecker Checkmark
H. P. Lovecraft's Book of the Supernatural: Classic Tales of the Macabre 2007-06-25 ed. Stephen Jones Fall River Press 978-0-7607-9123-3   xxvi+
354
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 anth Checkmark
The Captain of the Polestar and Other Tales 2008-07-10 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Project Gutenberg 294
$0.00?$: US dollar
  
ebook?Used for all electronic formats, including but not limited to EPUB, eReader, HTML, iBook, Mobipocket, and PDF.
 coll  
Vampire Stories 2009-00-00 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Skyhorse Publishing 978-1-60239-797-2
$14.95?$: US dollar
 ix+
271
tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.
 coll Adam Bozarth Checkmark
The Horror of the Heights & Other Strange Tales 2010-00-00 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Fall River Press 978-1-4351-3249-8   x+
334
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 coll  
The Speculative Conan Doyle 2010-00-00 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Coachwhip Publications 978-1-61646-024-2   396
tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.
 coll  
The Dealings of Captain Sharkey: And Other Tales of Pirates 2010-12-10 A. Conan Doyle Project Gutenberg 34627
$0.00?$: US dollar
  
ebook?Used for all electronic formats, including but not limited to EPUB, eReader, HTML, iBook, Mobipocket, and PDF.
 coll  
Short Ghost and Horror Collection 015 2011-11-30 ed. LibriVox LibriVox  
$0.00?$: US dollar
  
digital audio download?Digital recording in any format that is downloaded directly from the Internet. This category includes podcasts.
 anth  
The Captain of the 'Pole-Star': Weird and Imaginative Fiction 2012-02-22 Arthur Conan Doyle Ash-Tree Press 978-1-55310-216-8
$7.99?$: US dollar
  
ebook?Used for all electronic formats, including but not limited to EPUB, eReader, HTML, iBook, Mobipocket, and PDF.
 coll Paul Lowe  
The Captain of the 'Pole-Star': Weird and Imaginative Fiction 2012-02-22 Arthur Conan Doyle Ash-Tree Press 978-1-55310-217-5
$7.99?$: US dollar
  
ebook?Used for all electronic formats, including but not limited to EPUB, eReader, HTML, iBook, Mobipocket, and PDF.
 coll Paul Lowe Checkmark
The Conan Doyle Weirdbook 2012-03-18 Arthur Conan Doyle Theaker's Paperback Library 978-0-9561533-2-6
$9.50?$: US dollar
 148
tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.
 coll  
Gothic Tales 2016-10-01 Arthur Conan Doyle Oxford University Press (Oxford World's Classics Hardback Collection) 978-0-19-873429-1
£16.99?£: UK pound
 592
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 coll  
Gothic Tales 2016-10-20 Arthur Conan Doyle Oxford University Press 978-0-19-105363-4
£16.99?£: UK pound
  
ebook?Used for all electronic formats, including but not limited to EPUB, eReader, HTML, iBook, Mobipocket, and PDF.
 coll  
The Valancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories 2016-11-29 ed. Tara Moore Valancourt Books 978-1-943910-56-4
$16.99?$: US dollar
 291
tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.
 anth Henry Petrides  
Ghostly Tales 2017-07-25 ed. uncredited Chronicle Books 978-1-4521-5927-0
$22.95?$: US dollar
 176
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
 anth  
Gothic Tales 2018-03-22 Arthur Conan Doyle Oxford University Press (Oxford World's Classics) 978-0-19-873430-7
£9.99?£: UK pound
 592
tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.
 coll  
The Parasite and Other Tales of Terror 2021-05-04 Arthur Conan Doyle Poisoned Pen Press (The Haunted Library of Horror Classics #6) 978-1-4926-9981-1
$9.99?$: US dollar
  
ebook?Used for all electronic formats, including but not limited to EPUB, eReader, HTML, iBook, Mobipocket, and PDF.
 coll Jeffrey Nguyen Checkmark
The Parasite and Other Tales of Terror 2021-05-04 Arthur Conan Doyle Poisoned Pen Press (The Haunted Library of Horror Classics #6) 978-1-4926-9980-4
$14.99?$: US dollar
 240
tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.
 coll Jeffrey Nguyen Checkmark
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