Robert Place

i've seen his book on tarot in the shop across the road. it's in the sale and i hear it's very good. but do i need another book? i have rachel pollack's 78 degrees of wisdom which i like a lot. what's in Place that's not in her book?

One versus the other

Place's book has great coverage on the history of tarot, the development of the symbology that is used in the cards, and interesting ways to read the cards. I especially like his "flow" methodology that can be applied to any group of three cards. I also have Rachel's "78" book and love it as well. I have about 30 or 40 great books which give a lot of depth and coverage to aspects of the cards and wouldn't want to part with most of them. Dave

Hey BrightEye,

They are vastly different books.

Place's book is phenomenal. The first section is probably the best historical overview of Tarot outside of Decker and Dummett. And it's chatty and informative without being overwhelming. Place also makes what is probably the best supported case (at the moment) for the ideological structure underlying the Trump sequence, and moves through the Trumps one at a time showing how they relate to hermetic Neoplatonism and the ideas of the early Renaissance. The 2nd section of the book shifts to the Waite-Smith deck specifically, showing how Waite's modification of the card drew on the tradition and created something unique. As he proceeds, he explores and explains minute details in the cards one by one and how those often overlooked details can illuminate. Then for the 3rd section, Place presents his reading model, which is more flow-based than spread based; he compares reading to art analysis and understanding the way a picture transmits information to the viewer. He presents 6 different types of "energy flow" observable in a spread of cards and how to apply that flow so that the reading reveals more than assigning keywords to positions. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I find myself going back to it consistently and recommending it constantly.

Pollack's 78 Degrees is more of a meditation on the idea of Tarot and the various themes attributable to each card. She comes form a very psychological background, so the emphasis is on therapeutic interpretation and self-reflection rather than understanding the "Whys" and the "Hows." She tends to treat the cards as if the images dropped out of the sky fully formed without considering their tradition and the unique system that the Waite-Smith deck implemented. 78 Degrees is a terrific book, but I'd recommend the Place before hers any day of the week.

Scion

I have loved 78 Degrees of Wisdom since I read it, and I am currently reading Robert Place's book. I am still in the first section, and it is so incredibly interesting and fascinating. Place's writting style is very easy to read and very entertaining as well as informative. From the 100+ pages I have read, and Scion's description of what is to come I am sure I will enjoy this book cover to cover and be recommending it as well.

I would definitely recommend reading Place's book along with 78 degrees. Both are magnificent books, but they cover a lot of different ground. With both under your belt, you'll have a much broader base of knowledge, especially of the history of Tarot.

There is an excellent way of reading 3 card spreads in Robert Place's book (as well as all the other good stuff).
He calls it the 'sentence method' and it looks at the way the figures are standing etc and the way the energy 'flows' through the cards.
It's worth buying this book just for that (in my opinion ).

Thanks for asking

This sound like just what I've been thinking I want to read. Since chat about the year cards has come up I found the 2-decks I mainly use have the Strength & Justice cards reversed. That got me wanting more information for when & why the switch.

Scion said:

Place's book is phenomenal. The first section is probably the best historical overview of Tarot outside of Decker and Dummett. And it's chatty and informative without being overwhelming. Place also makes what is probably the best supported case (at the moment) for the ideological structure underlying the Trump sequence, and moves through the Trumps one at a time showing how they relate to hermetic Neoplatonism and the ideas of the early Renaissance. The 2nd section of the book shifts to the Waite-Smith deck specifically, showing how Waite's modification of the card drew on the tradition and created something unique. As he proceeds, he explores and explains minute details in the cards one by one and how those often overlooked details can illuminate. Then for the 3rd section, Place presents his reading model, which is more flow-based than spread based; he compares reading to art analysis and understanding the way a picture transmits information to the viewer. He presents 6 different types of "energy flow" observable in a spread of cards and how to apply that flow so that the reading reveals more than assigning keywords to positions. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I find myself going back to it consistently and recommending it constantly.Scion

Click to expand...

Also it sounds like the "flow" system is something I'm doing without knowing...

thanks folks. i have indeed bought the book and looked at the method described by sulis. it's really good! i haven't had much time to read much else yet but started on the historical bit, which is the best i've come across so far. being of a scholarly disposition myself, this is my cup of tea.