 In 1934 he was named director of the Bibliothèque de l'Institut de France, and from 1941 served as inspector general of libraries and archives.In 1940 he became a member of the Académie des sciences morales et politiques.With Henri Longnon, he was editor of the complete works of Balzac, titled "Œuvres complètes de Honoré de Balzac" (40 volumes, 1912–40).