How the ‘King of Manuscripts’ Became the Madoff of ‘France’
- by Bruce E. McKinney
Page 1 of a 3 page story Ponzi Scheme
It’s an uncommon occurrence that rare books and manuscripts dominate the news in an issue of the New York Sunday Times. Nevertheless it occurred on February 23rd, 2020. Even more surprisingly it’s an old, unsettling story.
This is not a new story. We’ve written 4 articles about the French firm Aristophil and what turned out to be a Ponzi scheme about rare and collectible paper. This subject has been thoroughly discussed at Rare Book Hub between April 2015 and December 2019 but the Times released a fresh 3 full-page story that gives this saga added significance given the timing may dampen the animal spirits of the rare book and manuscript trade that often luxuriate over the dealers, crowds and material that will soon be standing cheek by jowl at the Armory at 66th and Park over the March 5-8 at the most important book and manuscript fair in the western world.
It’s a reminder how important trust is, and how damaging it is if buyers are betrayed.
The Times story is accessible on their online edition dated February 23rd, 2020.
If you subscribe to print or electronic editions of the New York Times or simply search on Google as:
Sotheby’s Fine Manuscript and Printed Americana 27 January 2026
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: An extraordinary pair of books from George Washington’s field library, marking the conjunction of Robert Rogers, George Washington, and Henry Knox. $1,200,000 to $1,800,000.
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: An extraordinary letter marking the conjunction of George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Benjamin Franklin. $1,000,000 to $1,500,000.
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: Virginia House of Delegates. The genesis of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. $350,000 to $500,000.
Sotheby’s Fine Manuscript and Printed Americana 27 January 2026
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: (Gettysburg). “Genl. Doubleday has taken charge of the battle”: Autograph witness to the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, illustrated by fourteen maps and plans. $200,000 to $300,000.
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: President Lincoln thanks a schoolboy on behalf of "all the children of the nation for his efforts to ensure "that this war shall be successful, and the Union be maintained and perpetuated." $200,000 to $300,000.
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: [World War II]. An archive of maps and files documenting the allied campaign in Europe, from the early stages of planning for D-Day and Operation Overlord, to Germany’s surrender. $200,000 to $300,000.
![<b>Sotheby’s, Jan. 27:</b> [World War II]. An archive of maps and files documenting the allied campaign in Europe, from the early stages of planning for D-Day and Operation Overlord, to Germany’s surrender. $200,000 to $300,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/9d2762bc-9f26-47ef-96de-1c28070e19f6.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Jan. 27:</b> [World War II]. An archive of maps and files documenting the allied campaign in Europe, from the early stages of planning for D-Day and Operation Overlord, to Germany’s surrender. $200,000 to $300,000.")