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Remarks: Complete new edition, to replace [pie90]. Regular updates are planned. Mechanical binding allowing insertion of amended pages. Fully bilingual, including the introduction section. Authorship, though known, is not specified. At the bottom of each page is written "Original". Information on line.
Commented on line by the author at the NAVA website: Research methodology used for the 2000 edition of Album des Pavillons.
Description (improvements from [former editions are shown underscored):
The book begins with a foreword (1 p.) by Y. Desnoës, Naval Hydrograph, an introduction to vexillology (7 p., with colour illustrations) by M. Lupant, president of the FIAV, a glossary of vexillological terms (1 p.).
Section A is for state flags and markings. Pages are numbered according to the two first letters of country names. (For instance, Albania is in page AL 1.1 and Algeria in page AL 2.1.) This numbering system shall facilitate inclusion of new pages or new countries.
Each page has the name of the country in French-English-local language, and the full name of the country in French. For each flag, the bilingual caption is immediatly below the image and no longer on the facing page. Construction data are shown in the image borders. For national flags and ensigns, the FIAV grid of use is shown near the image. Colour data (official or suggested) are also sytematically shown. Bilingual footnotes are present when required. The status of the flags is higlighted when necessary (not confirmed, not allowed for private use etc.)
Section B is for international flags (world-wide organizations, European organizations, other organizations, and fishery inspection). The book ends with an index of all names cited (4 p.)
My personal comments:
This new Album is a milestone in vexillology. Several new flags have been added, and the layout of the book has been dramatically improved. All texts are translated in English in full. The introduction by M. Lupant and the English texts shall enlarge the “target” of the book. The book is expensive, but I would love if scientific books in the same price range could have the same editorial excellency (no printing mistakes, no typos…)
I have to congratulate once again Armand du Payrat and the graphist who works with him first for having convinced the SHOM to publish a totally new edition of the book and then for having displayed in such an attractive manner one of the most comprehensive and accurate database on flags and ensigns curently available. A special thank should also be addressed to David Prothero, who supervized the English translation. Knowing the quality of David’s contribution to the FOTW-list, nobody shall be surprised by the excellence of the English text. I am personnally glad to have finally an accurate list of the English equivalents of all these naval ranks.
As usual, it is explicitely stated in the book foreword that all comments and corrections are welcome by the SHOM.
Ivan Sache, 10 Dec 2000
The foreword (p. A4) of the album says (signed Yves Desnoes, Hydrographer of the Navy, General Engineer of Armaments):
The objective of the Album des pavillons nationaux et marques distinctives, National Flags and Distinctive Markings is to show, with bilingual Franco-English captions, all the ensigns, flags and markings that a vessel might encounter at sea or in port. The various National Flags and Ensigns, Jacks, Masthead Pennants, distinguishing Flags of Heads of State, of Government and Naval authorities, Maritime Service’s Flags, military and state-owned aircraft Markings, and flags of autonomous States and Territories, are given for each country, listed alphabetically by its French name. The flags of major International Organizations that are likely to be seen at sea and Fishery Inspections Pennants are included at the end of the book.
The introduction (p. A11-A21), by Michel Lupant, says:
About 200 independent countries and about thirty overseas territories are covered. The book is intended mainly for seafarers, who need to identify the nationality of a ship; whether it is civilian or military, and whether there is on board a Head of State, or other high ranking official, entitled to a salute.
quoted by Ivan Sache, 07 Dec 2003
Other then the national flags, the second part of the album (which is considerably smaller then the part A with national flags) shows some international flags that are of importance for seamen (I guess):
The titles here given in “quotes” are my names given for sections without title in the Album. So these titles are somewhat imprecise and “for your convenience”, so do not draw any longreaching conclusions from them. In fact, I guess that they are not titled exactly because it is difficult to give exact title, while these flags (and those organizations) clearly form a kind of a logical group.
Among all these there are without clear naval connection, I believe, only Language Commmunites and Pancontinental Organizations. I would guess that they are all here for “general interest” and not for any use in naval (maritime, navigational, ceremonial) circumstances.
Željko Heimer, 07 Dec 2003
The call for information is probably one of the most striking features of the Album. Instead of saying «We are the French Navy and we know better», the first page of the Album encourages everybody to forward comments and corrections to the editors.
In spite of not being allowed to sign the Album, Armand Armand placed his “watermark” on the Album. The “sample page” shows the national flag of Noélie / Christmasia / Navedad, an imaginary country whose name is derived from Noël, Armand’s second name, and the flag of the Minister of Defence of Nolie, which is nothing but the banner of arms of the Payrat family. This is an extremely elegant “watermark”, already used for instance by Velázquez, Charlie Chaplin and Alfred Hitchcock. Armand is in good company…
Ivan Sache, 12 Jul 2003
I would like to share with you my pessimism on that matter. When Armand took over the Editor’s position, the Album had been more or less abandoned by his predecessor, mostly because of the total lack of interest expressed by the hierarchy of the Navy. Those of you who have had the pleasure to meet Armand know what kind of inflexible gentleman he his. He was able to trigger some new interest for the Album and obtained the funding required for the major revamping of the Album, with an increased size, more flags shown, bilingual captions and a bilingual, excellent introduction to vexillology written by Michel Lupant. The new Album was a best-seller, as it was confirmed to me by the two Navy official booksellers in Paris and Marseilles.
Armand knew he would have to retired and was very worried about the future of the Album. You might remember that he was always interested by all kind of new information allowing updating the Album and that he was never reluctant to admit that there were mistakes in the Album. Armand realized that his retirement would probably be a very good opportunity for the Navy to cut the funds for the Album. Since he was a loyal officer, he did not attempt to postpone his retirement but obtained a temporary successor for one year. I don’t know his record as a ship captain (he was too modest to speak about this) but some wise people in the Navy probably decided to reward his career by offerring a last run to the Album.
Olivier Corre, a teacher in history and geography from Brest, was appointed as the new Editor of the Album. He was not paid and worked on his free time one afternoon per week to the completion of the last updates of the Album. Change #4 [cor04], released in 2004, was probably the very last update. Olivier asked me to be his correspondent and to transmit the information from the list relevant for the Album, which I did with great pleasure. In summer 2004, Olivier informed me that his position would not be renewed and that no successor would be appointed.
The Album 2000 with changes 1 to 4 can therefore be considered as the last release of the Album des Pavillons, which ends a tradition which had begun in 1819. Armand’s idea when revamping the Album was to publish a book that would interest not only the seamen but everyone concerned with flags (therefore the increased size and graphic quality, the introduction…). He was not followed by the administration of the Navy.
Fortunately, all the work done is not lost for the general public since Željko Heimer has analyzed and redrawn the flags shown in Album for the FOTW website.
Ivan Sache, 11 Jul 2006
Remarks: At the bottom of each page is written "corr N° 2". Price: 19,65 €.
Includes: Afghanistan new National Flag South Africa Police
Coast Patrol Ensign & Rescue Vessels Australia Customs Ensign
Bahrain new National Flag and Royal Standard Bolivia Naval Ensign
Brasil Vice-Pres, Minister, Cder of the Navy Comoros new National
Flag South Korea Government Flag & Maritime Police India new Naval
Ensign and rank flags, Coastguard Ensign Israel Custom Vessels,
Police Ensign, Masthead Pennant Italy Chief of Staff Armed Forces
Libya Naval Ensign Myanmar Naval Ensign New Zealand Customs
Ensign, Police Ensign, Yacht Ensign, Chief of Defence Force Rwanda
new National Flag Saint Lucia new National Flag East Timor new
National Flag and of course many small corrections throughout.
Armand du Payrat, 19 Sep 2003
Željko Heimer, 07 Dec 2003
Anything below this line was not added by the editor of this page.