Child Emperor Rule in the Late Roman West, AD 367–455 by Meghan McEvoy – (2013; 978-0199664818) PhD-Level Political Social Religious – While some authors will choose to cast the child emperors of late antiquity as “weak,” “ineffectual,” or even “immoral,” and most to simply gloss over them, Meghan McEvoy’s work directly addresses the fundamentals of the system that established and ingrained the practice of having a child emperor on the throne. She completely reassesses these individuals and their political circumstances, as well as their role within the empire, focusing on Valentinian II, Honorius, and Valentinian III. Envoys and Political Communication in the Late Antique West, 411–533 by Andrew Gillett PhD-Level Political Social Religious – Andrew Gillett goes into extensive depth into understanding how political communication worked in the late 5th century, focusing heavily on the role that bishops played as envoys and political figures during the empire’s decline. He also describes the mechanics of political communication such as the late antique developments in the aristocratic patron/client relationship. Ruling the Later Roman Empire by Christopher Kelly (2004; ISBN 978-0674022447) Advanced Political – Christopher Kelly’s work is considered a modern standard reading on understanding the political institutions of the late antique Roman system from Diocletian on through Heraclius. Kelly draws directly on the primary sources and dedicates a lengthy section of his book to their interpretation and understanding the Roman administrative system through them.