scholarly books on history of the Tarot

tarotcognito

Hi all!

Does anyone know if there are any scholarly, advanced books that trace the historical and philosophocal evolution of the Tarot? Books that go beyond "Tarot 101" and the standard two-three page "intro" fare on the history? Books that aren't "how to's" of doing readings and learning the meaning of the cards, but books that are about the evolution and development of Tarot through time.

Thanks for any assistance! :)
 

Barleywine

Canadian Girl said:
Hi all!

Does anyone know if there are any scholarly, advanced books that trace the historical and philosophocal evolution of the Tarot? Books that go beyond "Tarot 101" and the standard two-three page "intro" fare on the history? Books that aren't "how to's" of doing readings and learning the meaning of the cards, but books that are about the evolution and development of Tarot through time.

Thanks for any assistance! :)
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Because the "hard" history seems to be scant beyond the French emergence onto the field and conjecture is rampant, many books preface their interpretation and "mechanics of the spread" sections with a very brief history, as you have noted. One of the most scholarly short treatises of this type that I've read is the first section of "The Tarot" by Richard Cavendish (45 pages). If you mainly want the Western Mystery Tradition stuff (largely the Victorian "revival") there are numerous good books. Gareth Knight stands out, as do Paul Foster Case and Israel Regardie, and there are many others I can't recall. I never warmed up to the Kaplan "Encyclopedias" and haven't read the newer works.
 

tarotcognito

Thank you, Sulis and BW, for these helpful starting points. Very, very appreciated. :)
 

Ross G Caldwell

Canadian Girl said:
Hi all!

Does anyone know if there are any scholarly, advanced books that trace the historical and philosophocal evolution of the Tarot? Books that go beyond "Tarot 101" and the standard two-three page "intro" fare on the history? Books that aren't "how to's" of doing readings and learning the meaning of the cards, but books that are about the evolution and development of Tarot through time.

Thanks for any assistance! :)
Click to expand...

You'll have to spend a little to get scholary, advanced information, but it will cost only about the same price as 20-30 Tarot decks. I include the ISBN to aid your search.

Michael Dummett, The Game of Tarot (Duckworth, 1980; ISBN 0715610147) is the foundation for Tarot history. Before this there was no solid ground. There was only one printing, but used copies are always available. Right now, the cheapest copy I find is about $160 CDN. Definitely worth the price. If you search continuously, you may find copies for less than $100.
http://www.bookfinder.com/

The earliest "philosophical" interpretations of the Tarot were done by two Italians, Francesco Piscina and an anonymous writer, in 1565 and around 1565 respectively. These were published last year (I am a co-author), as "Explaining the Tarot: Two Italian Renaissance Essays on the Meaning of the Tarot Pack" (Maproom Publications, 2010; ISBN: 9780956237019)
http://www.maproompublications.co.uk/

The next time Tarot was interpreted "philosophically" was over two centuries later by Antoine Court de Gébelin and another anonymous writer (1781). Donald Tyson translated these and put them on the web here -
http://www.donaldtyson.com/gebelin.html

The history of the esoteric interpretation of the Tarot is given its most thorough treatment in two books -

Ronald Decker, Thierry Depaulis, Michael Dummett - "A Wicked Pack of Cards: The Origins of the Occult Tarot" (Duckworth, 1996; ISBN 0312162944);

and, Ronald Decker, Michael Dummett, "A History of the Occult Tarot, 1870-1970" (Duckworth, 2002; ISBN 0715631225)

These are the essential foundations for the scholarly study of Tarot history.

Ross
 

The crowned one

" EXPLAINING THE TAROT" by Maproom Publications is perhaps the most insightful book I have ever read on tarot.

I enjoyed both robert places's book and Paul Husons too. They are more overviews rather then "in your face and at the time" like the first book I suggest.
 

tarotcognito

Thank you, Ross and TCO, for your suggestions. I think I now have a good handful of good places to start. Much appreciated. :)
 

AJ

Our own historical forum has a wealth of information you won't find in any books anywhere.
 

tarotcognito

AJ said:
Our own historical forum has a wealth of information you won't find in any books anywhere.
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Thank you, AJ, I will definitely be combing the AT Historical forum. I'm a book nut, so it's just an automatic reflex for me to head for the books first :)
 

Abrac

Huson's Mystic Origins is very good as far as tracing historical and philosophical evolution.
 
essential tarots, books and tools (or help me with my shoping list) The Tarot Workbook: An IQ Book for the Tarot Practitioner by Kathleen McCormack