SOURCE: "Background and Rules of the Game," in Nostradamus: Life and Literature, Exposition Press, 1961, pp. 102–19.

Leoni is the author of Nostradamus: Life and Literature, a work containing what is considered the definitive English-language critical edition of Nostradamus's prophecies. (This work was republished in 1982 as Nostradamus and His Prophecies.) He has written of his subject, "Nostradamus provides one of history's classic examples of a 'byword' reputation that persists in clear contradiction to [his having been proven wrong about practically everything." In the following excerpt, Leoni assesses Nostradamus's prophetic methods and accuracy, concluding that, "At best it can be said of Nostradamus as a prophet that he occasionally had a successful 'vision' of what would happen, but never of when anything would happen." He also includes an overview of key criticism of Nostradamus through the centuries and probes possible sources of his prophetic inspiration.]

Summary Criticism Through the Ages

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