This copy of the scarce first edition of the Fortsas Catalogue contains the following autograph note in an unidentified hand on the title page: "Ce catalogue d'une bibliothèque qui n'a jamais existé est une curieuse mystification de M.r Chalon, membre de la société de bibliophile de Mons."
In the summer of 1840, booksellers and collectors throughout Europe received a catalog describing a remarkable book collection which would shortly be sold at auction in a sale to be held on August 10, 1840, in Binche, a small town in the southwest of Belgium. The library of the late, and hitherto-unknown Count Forstas was unique in the annals of book collecting: it consisted entirely of books of which he held the only known copies. If the Count learned of the existence of even one other copy of a book in his collection, that title was immediately purged from his library. At the time of the Count's alleged death in 1839 at the age of sixty-nine, his library numbered fifty-two volumes, all unique copies, and all books which collectors would go to great lengths to possess.
As the date of the auction drew near, bibliophiles from all over Europe descended upon Binche and quickly sought out the offices of Mâitre Mourlon, notary, 9 rue de l'Église, where the historic sale was scheduled to take place. When they attempted to locate the offices of Mâitre Mourlon, however, they could discover no one among the residents of Binche who knew that individual. They also learned that Binche had no street by the name of rue de l'Église and the late Count himself was unknown to the townspeople.
The frustrated bibliophiles then discovered, via a broadside which suddenly appeared, that the library of the late Count Forstas would not be auctioned off after all because the town of Binche had acquired the entire collection for its public library. But when the disappointed bibliophiles tried to view the books in their new home, they learned that Binche did not even have a public library. It now became clear to the would-be buyers that they were the victims of a hoax and they left Binche, empty-handed. Eventually they learned the hoax had been planned and executed by Renier Hubert Ghislain Chalon, a retired military officer, who was renowned for his elaborate practical jokes.
The Fortsas Hoax has remained a favorite of bibliophiles since its inception. Following the publication of the scarce first edition in August 1840, there were at least four separate editions printed during the nineteenth century and there have been a number of twentieth-century private press editions. The combination of elaborate hoax, insider bibliophilic humor, and a bibliographic puzzle with the catalog itself has helped stimulate a lasting interest in the Fortsas hoax.
[The Fortsas Hoax, University of Delaware Library]
