What is a false statement of edition (fausse mention)?

A false statement refers to a commercial strategy of French publishers: a process of dividing the print of a book's first edition into several separate  ones and printing on the cover and / or on the title page, a reference to a (false) second, third, fourth edition... each "edition" corresponding to a print run of 500 copies for example.

The colophon of all these "editions" remains the same - although as soon as the first copies were sold,  publishers could use this method to give the readers the illusion of a successful book. Its "success" would lead to multiple reissues indicated on the covers.

These false statements were completely fanciful and sometimes went as high as the 52nd edition. However, for each title affected there are still a number of copies not bearing any statement of edition. In the absence of deluxe numbered issues, these copies without statement remain the most sought-after - even though when statements of edition are printed, they are not really indicating another edition of the text. 

One last point: a number of copies are usually reserved for the author to be gifted. Most of the time, they are press copies, marked "SP" (service de presse) but some copies with false statements of edition could be inscribed by the author.