Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination »

Robert M. Place, an internationally recognized artist, illustrator, and teacher, has designed and codesigned some of the most acclaimed Tarot decks of our time, including The Alchemical Tarot and Tarot of the Saints.

The Tarot is one of the few books that cuts through conventional misperceptions to explore the Tarot deck as it really developed in the Middle Ages and Renaissance Europe-not, as some would suggest, in the far reaches of Egyp-tian antiquity. Mining the Hermetic, alchemical, and Neoplatonic influences behind the evolution of the deck, author Robert M. Place provides a historically grounded and compelling portrait of the Tarot's true origins, without overlooking the deck's mystical dimensions.

Indeed, Place uncommonly weds reliable historiography with a practical understanding of the intuitive help and divinatory guidance that the cards can bring. He presents techniques that offer new and valuable ways to read and interpret the cards. Based on a simple three-card spread, Place's approach can be used by either the seasoned practitioner or the new inquirer.

Library Journal

The origin of the tarot is a topic often clouded in mystery. There are numerous theories regarding which culture, country, and time period produced the first tarot deck. Place (Buddha Tarot), a recognized expert on the Western mystical tradition, has written a solid history of the tarot, drawing from both historical information as well as studies from various Kabalist and occult traditions that have influenced its symbology. Charts of correspondences and various illustrations of cards and ancient artwork enhance the examination of spirituality depicted in the tarot, using both ancient and modern philosophies. One entire chapter seeks to interpret the most influential tarot deck: The Waite-Smith Tarot. Place, an internationally known artist himself, has designed and/or codesigned four published decks: The Buddha Tarot, Tarot of the Saints, The Alchemical Tarot, and The Angels Tarot. This well-written book makes the rich history of the tarot accessible to even the novice tarot reader. Recommended for tarot collections in both public and academic libraries.-Kimberley Robles-Smith, California State Univ. Lib., Fresno Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.