Nostradamus and his Prophecies

Fülszöveg

Nostradamus' prophecies have aroused the in-tense and unflagging interest of millions of English-speaking men and women in the four centuries since they were first published. Yet, although they have inspired many books, the prophecies have never previously been pre-sented in a complete and scholarly translation. The only translations of any kind of all Nostradamus' prophecies are contained in a superficial and careless work of 1672 and in an adaptation of it published in 1947.
Nostradamus and His Prophecies provides the long-overdue exhaustive translation. The complete originál prophecies are printed in a defini-tive modern text based on word-by-word comparison of the earliest editions, with the English translation on facing pages. Notes be-low the text clarify doubtful wording, while in the extensive Commentary section the author indicates what Nostradamus probably had in mind or, where this is impossible to determine, at least the geographical and historical implica-tions. The... Tovább

Fülszöveg

Nostradamus' prophecies have aroused the in-tense and unflagging interest of millions of English-speaking men and women in the four centuries since they were first published. Yet, although they have inspired many books, the prophecies have never previously been pre-sented in a complete and scholarly translation. The only translations of any kind of all Nostradamus' prophecies are contained in a superficial and careless work of 1672 and in an adaptation of it published in 1947.
Nostradamus and His Prophecies provides the long-overdue exhaustive translation. The complete originál prophecies are printed in a defini-tive modern text based on word-by-word comparison of the earliest editions, with the English translation on facing pages. Notes be-low the text clarify doubtful wording, while in the extensive Commentary section the author indicates what Nostradamus probably had in mind or, where this is impossible to determine, at least the geographical and historical implica-tions. The Commentary section alsó includes the most famous interpretations—and alsó the most infamous.
To further assist the generál reader in com-prehending Nostradamus' prophecies, the Commentary section is preceded by a survey of the historical background of the prophecies and a chronology of significant dates with captions as readable as tablóid headlines—which they often resemble.
For the benefit of the generál reader, the Nostradamian enthusiast and the serious critic alike, the author provides a series of indexes, by far the most complete ever compiled, invaluable for comparing quatrains with similar geographical settings, similar proper names, similar themes and the like.
This astonishingly comprehensive work, however, deals with considerably more than Nostradamus' prophecies alone. Other sections cover all possible aspects of Nostradamus:
• The "Biography of Nostradamus" provides the most complete one in English, possibly in any language. Even the complete text of the last will and testament of Nostradamus is appended and fully translated.
• A personal letter, again with complete originál text and full translation, demonstrates that Nostradamus could "talk plainly."
• The complex bibliography of earliest editions of Nostradamus, really a complete
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work in itself, exposes many misconcep-tions and provides a long-needed definitive treatment.
• The bibliography of Nostradamus' com-mentators and critics provides a history, often humorous, of four centuries of mixed adulation and abuse of the controversial prophet.
• Last, but far from least, in a section entitled "Background and Rules of the Game" the author seeks to answer the questions "How and why did Nostradamus do it?"
Edgár Leoni, translator and author of this monumental and definitive work, disclaims any particular strong theories about Nostradamus. However, he does have somé conclusions, as the reader will find.
Edgár Leoni is neither a professional histórián nor a professional translator, nor even a professional writer. He describes himself as just a fairly talented "advanced amateur" in these areas. For nearly fifteen years he was employed in the insurance field. Subsequently, he became a text-book editor.
The major part of both the research and the writing itself was done while he was majoring in history at Harvard, where he secured his B.A. (Subsequently, he received an M.A. from Columbia.) Even while his education was inter-rupted for Army service, work on this book was not neglected: the first draft of the enormous General Index was completed on the deck of a troop transport in the mid-Pacific. As a matter of fact, by chance Mr. Leoni's Army job could not have been more appropriate for the author of this book, it having involved cryptography and translation.
Mr. Leoni gives much of the credit for the successful execution of this immense project to the huge collection of essential research mate-rial at the Harvard Library, where those works not already easily accessible were made avail-able to him. Under conditions prevailing when he worked for his degree, Mr. Leoni was al-lowed to dispense with the customary thesis and, instead, to work on a sort of super- thesis that eventually became Nostradamus and His Prophecies.
Originally titled Nostradamus: Life and Literature
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