Trained at the École Royale des Chartes at the Sorbonne, Paul Marchegay (1812–1885) dedicated his life to publishing the rich manuscript history found in the archives in his native Anjou. Volume 1 contains a collection of important texts by religious and lay authors written about the Angevin dynasty in its early years, dating from roughly the tenth to twelfth centuries. The most important manuscript printed in this collection is the Gesta Consulum Andegavorum. It is the only printed version of this manuscript, although modern scholars consider Marchegay's edition to be of poor quality. The collection also includes the only biography written about Geoffrey 'le bel' (Plantagenet), Count of Anjou, by Jean, a twelfth-century monk at Marmoutier. This book retains an interest for modern readers because it includes rare printed manuscripts, and also because descendants of the family, the Plantagenets, became the ruling monarchy in England.