Book Reviews

Summary

Blanchard, Joël, éd. Philippe de Commynes: Mémoires. 2 vols. Geneva: Droz, 2007. Pp. clxxii; 1754. 16 illustrations.

Blanchard's latest work seems to be the best and most complete edition of Commynes's new genre, to date. Volume one offers a thorough introduction and the edition's eight books. In fact, to guide the reader, the editor should have given a table of contents of this introduction which starts with a description of nine manuscripts, from which B. selected P (Paris, BNF, ms., nouv. acq. fr. 20960 – early sixteenth century – xi); a list of previous editions follows.

Manuscript P is written on vellum (320mm × 250mm), in 211 folios; the pagination is double and modern (B. used the one on the bottom of folios). The covers of the manuscript have been added later (embossed), i.e., after the sixteenth century, according to Omont's catalogue. The text was proofread and corrected on the margins and/or on interlines, sometimes by another hand than that of the author (or copyist). Two miniatures are visible: on one, Commynes offers his book to Angelo Cato, archbishop of Vienne, who had encouraged the author to write his memoirs (fol. 2r, one full page); the other shows the battle of Fornoue (fol. 149v) depicted at several levels: Charles VIII against the Italians. Both miniatures are placed into vol. two of B.'s edition, just before the glossary; and both show the architectural gilding favored in the Renaissance, along with a heraldic identification of the main figures. According to B. Mandrot (editor of the Memoirs, 1901–03), the date of the illuminations is 1530.