This volume of twelve essays is the product of the fourth ‘table ronde’ of Gallia Pontificia. The Gallia Pontificia project had its origins in the work of Dietrich Lohrmann who contributes one of the most important essays to this book. While the first three meetings concentrated upon work in progress, this one invited papers with no restriction by subject within the framework of ‘l'acte pontifical’, nor by date, so the contributions extend from Pope Leo vii (936–9) to Pope Clement v (1305–14). Naturally many of the essays concern individual places and specific religious institutions, but there are points of general interest, besides forgery, such as the circulation of models and multiple copies for the great orders, and the volume is certainly of interest outside France. There are plates, where necessary, and carefully edited texts. The first six essays deal with early privileges – so there is much on forgery and exemption: L. Vones, ‘A forged papal encyclical of Leo viii for the abbey of Ripoll (Catalonia)’; R. Grosse, ‘The two earliest papal documents (of John xviii) for the chapter of Notre Dame, Paris’; G. Moyse, ‘Two eleventh-century privileges for Saint-Claude’; L. Morelle, ‘The first papal privileges for the abbey of Saint-Bertin’; U. Vones-Liebenstein, ‘A forged privilege of Gelasius iii for Psalmodi near Nîmes’; and finally in this group, L. Falkenstein's ‘Privilege of Alexander iii for the abbey of Saint-Thierry (Rheims)’, which is a model of diplomatic analysis. Next comes G. Teske, ‘The letter collection of Peter the Venerable’, studying the relationship between a major abbey, Cluny, and contemporary popes and casting light on grantors and grantees and analysing sixty-four letters; G. Drossbach, ‘Fabrications of marriage law in the decretal collections of the twelfth century’, adds significantly to a theme explored by P. Landau, P. Herde, O. Hageneder and C. Duggan. B. de Vregille studies a mandate of Gregory ix to papal judges delegate which is embedded in a dossier of documents in a suit between the two chapters of Besançon concerning the revenues and rights of the archdeaconry of Salins. D. Lohrmann, in a fascinating contribution, examines the judicial enquiries and examinations carried out in the dispute of 1256 between the abbot and convent of St Eligius and the dean and chapter of Noyon over the relics of St Eligius; the articles and annexed interrogatories are edited in full. A. Chirkova analyses papal documents from the eleventh to the thirteenth century for French churches (notably St Jean des Vignes, Soissons and St Bertin) in St Petersburg, a source as yet unexplored. J. D. Morerod completes the volume with a perceptive examination of multiple copies of Cistercian privileges of exemption made by Clement v's chancery. The book can be recommended not as a beginner's guide to diplomatic, but certainly as a practitioner's.