Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1908-01-25
A CELEBRATED HOAX
Story of the Fortsas Catalogue
and Its Author.
CLEVER AND BRAzEN FRAUD.

This Ingenious Publication Completely
rooIsd the Savants and 5bliophiles
Of Europe and Was the Literary SEN
sation of Its Day. II
Whom p. T. Barnum cynicaIy re-
,,or,ed that the American people
loved to be fooled he might just DIS
Iii hova left out the adjective, for
that Americans are much more gum
bls than natives Of other ianus e"n
,o,v readily he called into question py
ANYBODY at all familiar with the HIS
tory of hoaxdom. suppose that lor
oure effrontery and ingenious pra%cn
ness the Fortsas Catalogue STANDS III
the front rank of deception. Yet 'h'S
nsmnhlet was foisted not upon 'iie
American public, but upon the saVan'S
and bibliophies of Europe-men Skill
Oh in the art of books and in the de'ec-
zion Of forgery. So cleverly was TINS
fraud conceived and executed th"'
deserves TO stand in the front RANK VI
any consideration, however DrieI' VI
clever receptions. ,,,an
The Fortsas Catalogue was puoiisn
Cd in 1s4O-a small book purportlhs "
10 tho catalogue Of the private library
90 certain Count J. \. \. de tortsaS
~ Rinche. in Belgium. Although 'he
hoot consisted Of but fourteen pages
ond listed only ffty-two titles II
stirred I'D a veritable teapot tempest
among the wise heads. Inc Ie"sV"
wos not far to seek-not one Oh 'no
hooks mentioned in the catalogue was
n no found in any other library -
nrhlisher's list! They were all aDso-
iutelv sole surviving copies OF III
tensely interesting WORKS. III . ~
words of the catalogue ltseil' NV
count pitilessly expelled from MS
sholvas hooks for which he had palu
tbeir weight in gold-as soon as he
learned that a work up TO that 'iilo
unknown had been mentioned IN any
catalogue" Each new rese"ien ~
learned investigators into the uo0n
lore of antiquity, it was clalmeu' n"U
+binned still further the already acc
imated ranks Of the count 5 s"cieO
ho+tolion" Weary of his tremendous
ard self imposed task Of collectins
only unique specimens, the count ~%'
stated TO have died on Sept. l. 100
ond his library was now offered 10
sale. Apparently the fraudulent chal
oo,or NJ snch master foOlery was quiz
natent Yet the high brows "Dlt eli
Enthusiastically, and there resulted on
Of the most amusing incidents VI l"
decade. ,.o,
For instantly the learned book lover
were up in arms, each trying 10 outu
his rival aud secure for hiinse4l ~
most precious of the treasures at III
colo which was advertised. Ordei
noured in from all over Europe on u
bebalf of scholarly societies, horarle
ROYAL families and literary eplcure
Ono bookseller came all the way 1rol
Amsterdam Just to see No. 90 u
CORPUS Juris Civilis." Inc frince'
do Iirne "for the honor of her IAN
w., ordered No As at any price 10 81
nress it on account of certain dlscre
table family episodes it was suppos
70 contain. Many other prominent pc
sons and institutions clamoreu iol
chance at the collection. Men
memhered having seen books that ne
err existed" says William 0heP"i
"The foreman in Castemans prlu.i
office at Tourney had distinct recoilt
+ions Of bogus volume credited 10
press" IT,, -,
Unfortunately the advertised 81
never came off. On the 9th OF 4
gust. the day before it was TO nave
gun. the Brussels papers annouhc
That the town Of Binche had determ
ed 10 keep the collection intact by p
chasing it with public funds. l
amusing part Of this statement "
that Bipche was a most inslghlnc'
village, quite unable to purchase ui'
OF anything. let alone universally
sired library. Still, even that st'
ment was believed.
The truth eventually transplred l
the Count de FOrtsas, his mlracui
library and the catalogue were all
creations of an ingenious fellow mai
Rene Chalons, living in Belgium
catalogue begot a rather extensive
erature of its own. which has 81
been collected and published under
t,tle documents ct Particularites
toriques sur lie Comte de Fortsas'
copy of the original catalogue
rests in the Congressional library
washington. - Cincinnati CONNER
Tribune.