 Ramus published many books during his career. More than fifty were printed, and some came out in several editions. They vary in genre and length from commentaries on classical texts to short tracts or orations. His textbooks were widely read, but how the rules actually should be used is more clearly displayed in his commentaries. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish Ramus’ works from those of his closest colleague and friend, Omar Talon (c. 1510–1562). The two scholars influenced each other and exchanged ideas and texts. Talon’s Rhetorica (1548), for example, was essentially a slightly revised version of Ramus’ Institutiones oratoriae (1545). Nancelius describes an episode typical of this intricate friendship. Ramus, attacked by a colleague, took only three days to produce a witty reply, which was printed a few days later with Talon’s name on the title-page, though the latter had barely seen the manuscript (Nancelius Petri Rami Vita: 219–221). It was a great loss for Ramus when Talon died in 1562.