JackofWands
I started reading the book today and I must say I find it magnificent. Ms. Wen has a beautiful, scholarly approach to Tarot, and there's a wealth of information in the book. I love the way that it's organized as well.
I believe I recall from a blog post (back when the book was in its earliest incarnations) that the original title for the book was Tarot Analysis--much more in line with the rigorous methodological approach and academic voice that rules the book. (She refers to fewer sources in her occasional discussions of crystals and the like, but everywhere that she talks about the history of Tarot and various lenses through which it can be viewed, she is the queen of citations.)
Anyways, for all interested parties, I adore this book (or at least the first quarter of it) and highly recommend it. I had to pay a bit extra for international shipping, because Amazon France doesn't appear to carry it, but the book was without a doubt worth the cost. It's a beautiful piece.
The title and cover jar horribly for me. The image is that Remaissance image of a group playing cards (not, not divination) - a sort of flakey fresco (think erudition, classical learning, courtliness, the riches of the scholarly Renaissance) with this sort of woo woo subheading of personal growth and "holistics" which turns me right off. There's a real clash there. The image screams "Medici", the title screams Doreen Virtue. You can really see the heavy hand of the publisher in some of these publications.
I believe I recall from a blog post (back when the book was in its earliest incarnations) that the original title for the book was Tarot Analysis--much more in line with the rigorous methodological approach and academic voice that rules the book. (She refers to fewer sources in her occasional discussions of crystals and the like, but everywhere that she talks about the history of Tarot and various lenses through which it can be viewed, she is the queen of citations.)
Anyways, for all interested parties, I adore this book (or at least the first quarter of it) and highly recommend it. I had to pay a bit extra for international shipping, because Amazon France doesn't appear to carry it, but the book was without a doubt worth the cost. It's a beautiful piece.