For almost five hundred years the predictions of Michel Nostradamus have been debated by sceptics and scholars alike. Many claim he predicted everything from electricity to political assassination, the death of Princess Diana to the bombing of the World Trade Center. But while much has been written about his predictions and their validity, little is known about the man himself. Nostradamus lived in constant danger of arrest for heresy, yet was so widely respected that Europe's royals had him casting their dynastic horoscopes and cardinals sought him out as an acclaimed physician. Separating myth from reality, this in-depth biography of Nostradamus places him squarely back in his own world, whilst also examining the psychology behind the vast industry that for centuries has been devoted to interpreting his prophecies.