"The Tarot" by Richard Cavendish

[callistoluna]

I brought this book really cheaply as an ex-library book. Has anyone read this one?

 

[Lillie]

Yeah, I think so.

I think I was reading it a couple of weeks ago at someone else's house.

If it's the one I am thinking of it is a fairly general book with some good illustrations and some interesting information.

 

[jackdaw*]

I used to have it. I don't think that I found it terribly informative, but I loved the illustrations. Especially of the old Minchiate deck on the dustjacket.

 

[Teheuti]

At the time it came out it was one of the best books around. It was one of the first books, along with that by Fred Gettings, that showed comparable images from the 15th century so you could see the cultural framework out of which the tarot emerged.

Also, Cavendish made a excellent effort to wed several traditions in his interpretations so that you have an amalgam of Etteilla and the French, Marseille tradition mixed intelligently with that of the GD. He is one of the few people who seemed to understand what Waite was about, in that Waite also blended these disparate systems.

It's a book I go back to occasionally with appreciation.

 

[callistoluna]

At the time it came out it was one of the best books around. It was one of the first books, along with that by Fred Gettings, that showed comparable images from the 15th century so you could see the cultural framework out of which the tarot emerged.

Also, Cavendish made a excellent effort to wed several traditions in his interpretations so that you have an amalgam of Etteilla and the French, Marseille tradition mixed intelligently with that of the GD. He is one of the few people who seemed to understand what Waite was about, in that Waite also blended these disparate systems.

It's a book I go back to occasionally with appreciation.

Thanks Tehuti. I picked it up and had a flip through it and I thought I'd buy it for $5 - It's missing the dust jacket but the book itself is in pretty good shape for an ex-library book. It looks like it will be informative and it does have a few interesting pictures of old cards in it. I don't have much on Tarot history so I hope this will help fill that void

 

[Teheuti]

I don't have much on Tarot history so I hope this will help fill that void

Much has been discovered about tarot history since Cavendish, so I'd recommend going to some of the newer works. You might want to check out The History of Tarot by Robert Place and The Mystical Tarot by Paul Huson. Books by Dummett et al are hard to find and expensive and Kaplan's Encyclopedias are probably more than you want to get into at this point.

 

[callistoluna]

Much has been discovered about tarot history since Cavendish, so I'd recommend going to some of the newer works. You might want to check out The History of Tarot by Robert Place and The Mystical Tarot by Paul Huson. Books by Dummett et al are hard to find and expensive and Kaplan's Encyclopedias are probably more than you want to get into at this point.

I've just bought Robert Place's book. So far so good

 

[Lleminawc]

Watkins had a 2nd-hand copy of Cavendish's book a couple of days ago - may still be there if any London-based readers are interested.

 

[gregory]

Yeah, I think so.

I think I was reading it a couple of weeks ago at someone else's house.

If it's the one I am thinking of it is a fairly general book with some good illustrations and some interesting information.

If you mean my house - yes you were, and it's not half bad.

 

[Lillie]

Yes, I mean your house!



I thought it was a nice book, a good general introduction that touched on many aspects of the tarot.
And some great pictures.