Nostradamus - Les propheties - 1611

Les propheties de M. Michel Nostradamus : dont il y en a trois cens qui n'ont encores jamais esté imprimée : trouuez en vne biblioteque delaissez par l'autheur
(The prophecies of Mr. Michel Nostradamus: of which there are three hundred that have never yet been printed: found in a library neglected by the author)
Pierre Chevillot, l'imprimeur ordinaire du roy, Troyes, 1611


Michel de Nostredame (latinized Nostradamus) was born on December 14, 1503, in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France, where he initially trained as a physician and rose to fame for his innovative treatments during plague outbreaks. After the tragic death of his first family, he traveled extensively before settling in Salon-de-Provence to marry again and pivot toward the occult. He became a globally renowned figure due to his purported clairvoyant abilities, eventually serving as a trusted advisor and physician to the Queen of France Catherine de’ Medici. He remains immortalized in history as the world's most famous seer, dying in 1564 after even predicting his own final night.


Les Prophéties, first published in 1555, is the work on which Nostradamus’s reputation rests. The book is composed of short, four-line verses known as "quatrains", grouped into “centuries” of one hundred quatrains each. To evade the threat of the Inquisition, Nostradamus intentionally obscured his meaning by mixing French, Latin, Italian, Hebrew and Greek, The ambiguity of Les Prophéties is central to its lasting power: the verses are not tied to clear dates or specific names, allowing readers across centuries to connect them to events of their own time. The book primarily focuses on "doom-laden" themes like epidemics, wars, and natural disasters, famously including a chillingly accurate description of the death of King Henry II. Les Prophéties have long being believed to predict major world events like the Great Fire of London, the rise of Napoleon, Hitler and the atomic bomb.
Nostradamus claimed that these visions were derived from a combination of astrological calculation, historical analogy (the cycles of history), and meditative insight, rather than direct divine revelation.



The Troyes printing by Pierre Chevillot is not only an early edition of Les Prophéties: it was produced during a period when the text had not yet reached a permanent and definitive form. Appearing few years after Nostradamus’s death, at a time when new centuries were still being found and integrated into a more complete corpus, these printings reflect the then still ongoing process of text compilation and organization. Printers such as Pierre Chevillot worked without a fixed authorial model and therefore played a role in shaping how the anthology was assembled and presented.


According to Klinckowstroem's, (and Benazra p.156, Chomarat 166) scholarly classification system, Chevillot edition appears in two different states or variants:
One “state” or variant contains Les Prophéties more or less on their own, usually the familiar centuries I–VII, sometimes presented as newly recovered or newly authorized.

Another variant (the present) combines them with additional material such as Centuries VIII, IX, and X —centuries whose textual history is already complex and contested: likely authored by Nostradamus himself, albeit published under mysterious circumstances after his death—and the supplement of Vincent Sève (Sève is credited with adding material purportedly from a manuscript entrusted to him by Henry (or Henri) Nostradamus, described as a nephew of Michel de Nostredame)
The volume is then further enlarged with a "Recueil" of prophecies attributed to saints, visionaries, and other inspired figures. These additional texts were presented alongside Nostradamus' work as part of a continuous prophetic tradition.

This blending reflects how prophecy was understood at the time. Nostradamus was not treated as a solitary author in the modern sense, but as the last (final?) voice among many through whom divine or cosmic truth might speak. By binding his quatrains together with biblical revelations and apocalyptic writings, Chevillot’s edition positioned Les Prophéties as part of the broader sacred history rather than a closed literary work.


Contemporary parchment binding with handwritten title on spine.
In 3 parts, each with separate title page and foliation. Pages numbered on one side only (and somehow inconsistently). Spelling error on the title page of the second book: "RPopheties" instead of "Propheties"
Title vignettes; headpieces; initials. King Louis XIII arms on title page.
64 leaves + 48 leaves + 64 leaves. Total 352 pages. 8vo
Including the supplement of Vincent Sève, Nostradamus' dedication to his son and his dedication to king Henry II.

The book retains clean, bright leaves throughout, notably free from stains, toning, or foxing. The text is crisp and fully legible. There is a manuscript note on the back endpaper (as per picture).

One leaf shows a short closed tear, confined to the margin and not affecting the printed text (as per picture). The binding remains sound and well-preserved, and the volume presents attractively on the shelf. There are two symmetrical abrasions on the cover: almost certainly remains of bindings/ties.

Overall, a handsome copy, distinguished by its cleanliness and careful preservation.