NOSTRADAMUS Michel de Nostredame Les Propheties de M. Michel Nostradamus. Dont il y en a trois cens qui n’ont encores iamais esté imprimées. Adioustées de nouueau par ledict Autheur.

Guinard, p. 51 ; Chomarat, 96 ; Benazra, 11 ; Ruzo, 21 ; see also : Jean Paul Barbier, Ma bibliothèque poétique, part IV, pp. 445-462, for another edition at the same date (Guinard, p. 52 & Chomarat, 97) – Guinard locates 6 copies in institutional libraries (including one incomplete) and one in privat hands.

Second complete edition of Nostradamus’ Prophéties, of great rarity.

Most probably printed ca. 1571, the edition has recently been baptized “Édition A” by Patrice Guinard, who placed it second in his chronology of Nostradamus editions by Benoist Rigaud bearing the date of 1568. The great Peruvian Nostradamus specialist Daniel Ruzo did not own a copy, and Guinard locates only 6 copies : Lyon BM (incomplete) ; Lyon BM (Fonds Chomarat), Châteauroux BM, Heidelberg UB, Wroclaw BU Glowna, Firenze BN – to which one should the copy illustrated in Der Schlüssel zur Welt des Nostradamus by René Troyan (Stammham, Merano, 2003), “acheté chez un libraire selon l’auteur. Estampille de bibliothèque visible au second livre” (Guinard).

Each part is illustrated with a fine woodcut vignette: part one depicts the sky with a sun, moon and five stars as well as sphere held by a hand emerging out of a cloud while another hand is measuring its surface (Chomarat, woodcut no. 2); the vignette of part two depicts Atlas carrying the celestial globe, with a seascape in the back ground (Chomarat, woodcut no. 4). Engraved initials, borders and a floral woodcut complete the ornamentation (Chomarat, woodcut no. 17).

The editions by Benoist Rigaud are highly important, especially concerning the establishment of the last three ‘centuries’ of the new preface which some believed to be apocryphal and of which no printed version is known to be published during the author’s lifetime. Patrice Guinard insists on the fact the first 942 quatrains are published here for the very first time (see: Revue française d’histoire du livre, n° 129, Nouvelle série, 2008, pp. 9-142).

“En effet l’édition lyonnaise de 1558 et son hypothétique réplique parisienne sont aujourd’hui perdues, et les éditions dites de 1568, dont la première fut probablement imprimée environ deux ans après le décès de Nostadamus, sont les premiers vestiges du texte originel, et probablement les plus fiables” (Guinard).

Binding slightly worn ; text slightly browned, small restoration to leaf G5 without loss. Very good copy in its first binding. Provenance: 17th century signature inside the first cover “di fran[cesco] Bulgarini” : possibly Cardinal Francesco Bulgarini, member of an important Roman family – “Cesare Campori” (19th century printed book-plate).nforced in outer margin.