Humans have always longed to see into the future, and there have always been those who claim to have this gift; best known among these is Nostradamus, author of poetic predictions whose accuracy is still debated today. Jo Durden Smith here presents quotations from this 16th-century French visionary, assessing their possible meaning and citing instances when they may have come true. Following the phenomenon of prognostication through the millennia, Smith also tells the stories of such biblical prophets as Moses, Daniel, and John; the Greek oracles; Mohammed; scientist Giordano Bruno; and Dr. John Dee, Elizabeth I's crafty jack-of-all-trades.