A specialist in the history of medieval texts, he studied the library of Clairvaux Abbey and edited the Middle Ages volume of the Histoire des bibliothèques françaises (history of French libraries). He was elected a member of the Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres  in June 1980.
A scholar focused on medieval texts, he researched the library at Clairvaux Abbey and edited the Middle Ages section of Histoire des bibliothèques françaises (history of French libraries). He was elected to the Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres in June 1980.