New-York tribune., 1909-05-01
4 QUEER SALE.
With Notes on Hoar Of Long


Times
Early in the summer of 184O the book collect
ing world-but more particularly that portion OF
it which resided in France and Belgium-Was
informed, by way Of catalogue, of the sale dune
richie mais peu nomhreuse collection de ivres'
from the library of the late NJ. le Comte J. n A
FOrtSaS. The sale announced to take place
at Binche, small town H. Belgiu. ;, lie 10 Aont,
1910. onze heures du matin" The catalogue
was compiled with the greatest bibliographical
care and. apparently, with the most scrupulous
photographed accuracy. Every book was a
rarity of the first magnitude, an edition or an
author entirely unrecorded by Brunei ana other
writer's, and equally unknown to every collector
into whose hands the catalogue had fallen The
scientific precision of each description was so
convincing that no one for a moment questioned
the existence of these books. Nor did any one
doubt the existence Of such a person as the
COmte de Fortsas.
The catalogue was distributed among the
Paris aRd other booksellers, each Of whom care
fully avoided mentioning anything about the
matter TO his rivals. A few days before the ad-
vertsed date of the sale there a general
disappearance of the leading booksellers from
their usual haunts-they had all gone on a
holiday. A few met at the various railway
stations which communicated with Belgium; one
going here, another there and a third else
where-but no was going to BinChe. BY
curious coincidence they all found themselves
at Binche on August TO- only to, find that there
was no sale. no Comte de Eortsas. and no hith-
erto unrecorded editions of the great French and
other classics In a word. the whole thing was
q hoax And a very clever one. Of Il NJ. ChalOn.
The Comte de Fortsas hoax was the greatest
one Of its kind of the century. It has had and
can have no parallel; but we are reminded of 1t.
TO some extent, by what has just taken place in
Rome. For some weeks past catalogue has
been in circulation Of "a sale through public
auction of a rich collection OF rare English and
French books Of the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries, belonged TO old English book col
iector-the phraseology is that of the sale cat
alogUe-annOunced to take place at the Liberia
Antiquaria, stampe, autOgraf, PlaZz AraCoeH
is, Rome from Monday. March p. to Friday
April 9. There was no hoax either about the
sale or about the books catalogued. but only in
connection with the fact that each London book
seller thought himself in possession of the. Sc
cret and did not talk about rare English books
in Rome. one enterprising bOokseer-and pos
sibly than One-Offered to purchase the
whole collection en- bloc, and so relieve Signor
Luzzietu the bookseller in charge Of the affair
OF the trouble and fatigue involved in the public
disposal OF 1853 lots The offer was not ac-
Cepted. And IN this case. I'm that Of the late
NJ. le Comte de FOrtSas. just before the sale in
Rome there exodus Of London book
sellers all in search of health and happiness
and a short holiday. And here also they all
found themselves arriving at one destination
the Eternal City; doubtless 10 their mutual
surprise Unfortunately for those who had
crossed over, the catalogue had been too well
circulated. IN spite of the fact that the sale had
hardly been advertised in the usual medium. nor
had II been announced in the usual way in the
English papers. To Rome. however the London
booksellers had come, and they had to do the
best they could But the auctioneer and the
local agents had been we'll charged with COM
missions. and so. so far from the rarities going
for the proverbial old song, the prices appear to
have ruled high" possibly not very much less
than they would have been in London.
The sale catalogue itself is a literary curios-
fly almost great that of the aforesaid
Comte de Fortsas To each Of the entries there
IS appended what appears to be the reserve
price placed on each lot Most Of these reserves
only be described amazing sufficiently
attractive indeed to induce any bookseller to
desert the London salerooms for brief space
The most remarkable Of all is lot No. 1909
FlOre ct Zephyr ballet mythologique par The
0phile WaGstafI. London. Mitchell 1886. ina.
br. 6 caricature)." Upon this there IS reserve
of Ira 80 centesimi Now, every book col
lector knows that this is one of the very rarest
OF Thackeray's items, worth anything from $50
10 900, according to condition. while Augustn
Days copy sold for $3.50 in New York in 1900
few reserves" of this description
enough TO turn any collectors hair gray and
this catalogue is full of instances nearly as alb
surd 1t is scarcely necessary 10 say that the
catalogue is compiled with a profound ig-
norance Of the value and rarity Of English books
always the booksellers, great opportunity for
a profitable scoop" Most Of the reserves
are placed at 80 centesimi, very few above >
lire and I'm almost every case far below the real
market value. There is attempt at arrange
ment, alphabetical according TO subjects, and
the catalogue abOunds with gems of English as
she - spoke or. rather. as It is printed in
Rome.
The field" day for the collectors Of first ed-
tons Of modern English authors Thurs
day last Dickens's sunday Under Three
Heads" 1896 probably a misprint for 1889, fig
ures in large type Csuperba egatura I'm
rocco brunO'), and at the modest reserve OF 10
lire. and worth probably many pounds ster-
ling. The same authors Haunted Man and the
Ghosts Bargain" 184S is placed at Ira al
though II has sold for much f27 in Lon
don Nicholas Nic1leby.' 1889 in the twenty
original parts, instead OF lire 80 centesimI
ought 10 be worth at least IS: David Copper
field" 1856. also I'm twenty parts and reserved
at a similar price. ought TO sell for about TO-
"Pickwick Papers" 1891 in the twenty parts.
reserved. like most Of the other first editions Of
this novelist. at lire 80 centissmi, might be
worth anything up to f10 or flo.
OF the first editions of Thackeray there are
also curious reserves-none above > lire
VANITY fair. novel without avero." in the
twenty parts. 1S47-S varies in the English sale
room from about fS los to over ESQ, according
to condition whether the set Is of the first or
second issue. and so forth. Even for THE Vir-
gnians," 1859, in tWenty-fOur parts, lire can
not be regarded a high reserve. while the
] Ira % centesimi placed NJ. A. Titmarsh's !
Mrs. Perkins's Ball." 1047, Is only about the
one-hundredth part OF the value OF this scarce
Thackeray item. But the reserves throughout !
the same attractive scale, whether il is /
for books illustrated by Bewick or by Cruik- |
shank. both Of whom figure very extensively in !
this singular catalogue. The name Of the owner !
OF the library is not anywhere indicated in the |
sale catalogue the collection was evidently
formed by collector of wide and varied tastes |
and good judgment, and the mystery is how the |
sale of such a choice collection of English and (
other books should ever have been so grossly /
mismanaged TO have been held in Rome /
where the number Of English book collectors is |
an exceedingly small one.