ΜΑΝΟΥΗΛ ΤΟΥ ΠΑΛΑΙΟΛΟΓΟΥ [Manouelis Paleologi]: Προς τον ερασμιώτατον υιόν αυτού και βασιλέα Ιωάννη τον Παλαιολόγον [Praecepta educationis regiae Filli Ioanni]. Basileae 1578. Together at the end: Belisarii: De educationis Principum EDITIO PRINCEPS of the famous works and writings of Manuel Palaiologos, one of the last Byzantine emperors. In 8vo. Contemporary full vellum, lightly soiled, upper joint weak. Text clean and bright. Complete: 451, [16] pp. for the writings of Manuel Palaiologos (continuous pagination), and 224, [12] pp. for the last work of Belisarius (in second edition). A very good set. Emperor Manuel Palaiologos (1350–1425) was the author of several significant works. Exceptionally educated, he was able to engage in profound debate with the leading scholars of his age. In his Dialogues with a Persian, composed in Angyra (Ankara) while virtually held hostage as an auxiliary of the Turkish sultan, he sought to understand the ideological foundations of Islam and the nature of Muslim expansionism, while bearing witness to the devastation of Anatolia after the Turkish conquest. His writings thus provide a unique testimony for late medieval Asia Minor. During his state visits to Paris and London, the only Byzantine emperor ever to make such journeys, he impressed European scholars with his deep knowledge of classical Greek authors. His advices to his Son and Successor John Palaiologos are a mature reflection on governing an empire in profound crisis, caught between two overwhelming forces: relentless Ottoman conquest and the commercial dominance of the West. His observations on the Turkish threat cloaked in religious ideology remain strikingly prescient, and some of his letters deal with this matter directly. In 2006 Pope Benedict XVI cited a passage from Manuel’s writings, sparking worldwide discussion. A rare early edition, published at a time when the Ottoman threat was still very present for Europe and Manuel’s words carried contemporary resonance.