Trogon
Ooops! I forgot a book. I also have "The Art of the Tarot". It's a smallish book (about 3"X3" and about 1" thick). But it briefly discusses the history of the Tarot and shows the artwork from many decks both very old and new.
I do have to agree with Woof about this book, the meanings given to the cards are pretty basic. I feel that she may have been trying to make them somewhat simplistic. But then again, I found the same thing with "The Mystic Tarot" by Rosemary Ellen Guiley. However, there is a lot of very good information in the backs of both of these books - for instance, discussions of symbolism and symbols. And when I combined that information with what is in "Seventyeight Degrees of Wisdom" (Rachel Pollack) and my own feelings as I contemplate the cards, I feel I get a pretty good picture.
Woof said:
I do have to agree with Woof about this book, the meanings given to the cards are pretty basic. I feel that she may have been trying to make them somewhat simplistic. But then again, I found the same thing with "The Mystic Tarot" by Rosemary Ellen Guiley. However, there is a lot of very good information in the backs of both of these books - for instance, discussions of symbolism and symbols. And when I combined that information with what is in "Seventyeight Degrees of Wisdom" (Rachel Pollack) and my own feelings as I contemplate the cards, I feel I get a pretty good picture.
I've used Eden Gray's book for several years now. I still refer to it in fact. It is a good book on the Tarot. It's just that as I started reading other books and getting other opinions I started applying more meaning to the cards - expanding on what Eden Gray had written for the individual cards. You are definitely correct in the statement that it was a tremendous leap beyond the LWB which came with my RWS deck. Eden Gray undoubtedly helped me build a strong foundation in the basics of the Tarot. I just feel that it was a very good thing for me when I started expanding beyond this book.