The Complete Fortune-Teller, being The Magic Mirror of Michael Nostradamus.

In very good condition, Bound in elaborately illustrated yellow boards with front board die-cut and a revolving disk inset on verso of front board. The disk is still easily turned and in great shape. Printed on thick paper.  Some dirt to the cloth boards, minor rubbing and the corners starting to split. Internally the front endpaper has split, but the book block is still holding well to the cloth spine. With the odd pencil marks and previous owner’s name. Otherwise the pages appear generally clean with little in the ways of nicks or stains.

Invoking the Spirit of Nostradamus

“Transforming from a physician and astrologer of earlier centuries to the magician or “wizard” we recognize today, Nostradamus became a ubiquitous character in late 19th and early 20th century American and British popular culture. Consumers could buy booklets that imparted Nostradamus’s alleged methods for invoking spirits. One of them entitled Art Magic told readers to select a pristine crystal, ask to see the name of their guardian spirit, and then request advice.

The Complete Fortune-Teller had a different approach. Hold the cutout “magic mirror of Nostradamus,” it said, and then ask your question while softly uttering the seer’s solemn invocation: “eludor mirpan gulith harcon dibo.”[1]

[1] Notes from the exhibition: “Unheard of Curiosities” An Exhibition of Rare Books on the Occult and Esoteric Sciences. Exhibition Catalog by Erika B. Gorder. February 2014. Special Collections and University Archives Rutgers University Libraries