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Synopsis Nostradaus anticipated a successful reception of his prophecies some half a millennium later, and that particular prophecy has come unerringly true in the last year. Since September 11, 2001 they are more widely read than ever, and 2003 was the 500th anniversary of his birth. But was he really a man of extraordinary prophetic vision? Or did he cobble together prophecies current at the time? And how did he survive and gain fame in the rigidly Catholic and inquisitorial world of 16th century Europe? The answers to such questions are not necessarily the same as they were even a few years ago. New texts have been discovered and new archives unearthed, and many of the dogmas and myths need to be jettisoned. In the process the real man who emerges from the mists of historical obfuscation turns out to a lot more interesting and his legacy a lot less fearsome than we have supposed. This is possibly the most comprehensive and up-to-date biography that exists in the English language. It opens up the still-medieval world of the time as well as the life and work of Nostradamus. Appendices present a selection of key texts both by and about Nostradamus, most of which have never before been published in English.