ABSTRACT
In two libraries at opposite ends of France lie two editions of Euripides' plays, published a century apart. Both were once the property of Jean Racine; as is well known to Racine scholars, both bear marks of his ownership in the form of marginal annotations in the playwright's handwriting. The first respect in which Racine's annotations of Euripides (as indeed of other Greek texts) can contribute to this exploration is as a source of evidence. One of the questions faced when inquiring into sources appears basic, but is often less straightforward than it seems: how do we know which sources were involved in the genesis of any given work? Racine is of course crucial; and this is not an area in which definitive proof is readily available. Close investigation does, however, build up quite a substantial dossier of evidence in favour of authenticity, although at various levels for the markings on various plays.
