Emeraldgirl
I am trying to get a bit more grounded in the history of tarot. Can anyone recommend some good books that are in English?
Thanks,
Thanks,
Historical Books
Grigori
The Encyclopaedias Of Tarot are pretty comprehensive and will also give you great references to follum up other things that are of specific interest to you. I found chapters of them fascinating, but they are a read-a-little-at-a-time type book to me.
There a review of Volume 4 here but I'd start with volume 1 and then decide about the rest.
PS Aussie stores can get them, but they are crazy expensive and cheaper to ship from the US, especially if you get a couple other things at the same time
There a review of Volume 4 here but I'd start with volume 1 and then decide about the rest.
PS Aussie stores can get them, but they are crazy expensive and cheaper to ship from the US, especially if you get a couple other things at the same time
mythos
And after you finish the Encyclopedia's (all of which I have managed to pick up super cheap on ebay, btw - except the new one), are:
*Ronald Decker and Michael Dummett (2002) Ist Edition. A History of the Occult Tarot 1870-1970, Gerald Duckworth & Co. Ltd. ISBN: 0-7156-3122-5
*Cynthia Giles (1992) The Tarot: History, Mystery and Lore, Fireside Books, NY. ISBN: 0-671-89101-4
* Mary K Greer (1995) Women of the Golden Dawn: Rebels and Priestess, Park Street Press, Rochester, Vermont, USA,
ISBN: 0-89281-607-4
* Paul Huson ( 2004) Mystical Origins of the Tarot: From Ancient Roots to Modern Usage, Destiny Books, Rochester, Vermont USA ISBN: 0 89281 190 0
* Paul Huson (1971) First Edition. The Devil's Picturebook: The Compleat Guide to the Tarot Cards Their Origin & Their Usages. G.P. Putnam's Sons, NY.
* O'Neill, R. V. (2004) Tarot Symbolism, Facsimile issue if first edition then published by Fairway Press, Lima, Ohio, in 1986. Published by Association for Tarot Studies, Croydon Hills, Vic, Australia. ISBN: 0-9757122-0-9
*Robert M Place (2005) The Tarot: History, Symbolism and Divination, Jeremy P Tarcher/Penguin. ISBN: 1-58542-349-1
* Oswald Wirth (1981) Introduction to the Study of Tarot: A beginner's guide to the symbolism and use of Tarot cards by one of the greatest tarot designers and theorists. The Aquarian Press, GB.
ISBN: 0-85030-263-3 ... this is actually on ebay currently! and his other one (can't remember the name!)
*Papus, (1994) The Tarot of the Bohemians, Studio Editions Ltd. London,
ISBN: 1-85958-065-3
There are others of course, but these are a good start, and all that I have - so it was easy to access the details. Also, I picked up everyone of them on ebay at really good prices.
There is also a lot of stuff by Eliphas Levi, Mathers, Crowley and so on in pdf form on-line. I'll try and track down some web-sites so that you can download them.
mythos
*Ronald Decker and Michael Dummett (2002) Ist Edition. A History of the Occult Tarot 1870-1970, Gerald Duckworth & Co. Ltd. ISBN: 0-7156-3122-5
*Cynthia Giles (1992) The Tarot: History, Mystery and Lore, Fireside Books, NY. ISBN: 0-671-89101-4
* Mary K Greer (1995) Women of the Golden Dawn: Rebels and Priestess, Park Street Press, Rochester, Vermont, USA,
ISBN: 0-89281-607-4
* Paul Huson ( 2004) Mystical Origins of the Tarot: From Ancient Roots to Modern Usage, Destiny Books, Rochester, Vermont USA ISBN: 0 89281 190 0
* Paul Huson (1971) First Edition. The Devil's Picturebook: The Compleat Guide to the Tarot Cards Their Origin & Their Usages. G.P. Putnam's Sons, NY.
* O'Neill, R. V. (2004) Tarot Symbolism, Facsimile issue if first edition then published by Fairway Press, Lima, Ohio, in 1986. Published by Association for Tarot Studies, Croydon Hills, Vic, Australia. ISBN: 0-9757122-0-9
*Robert M Place (2005) The Tarot: History, Symbolism and Divination, Jeremy P Tarcher/Penguin. ISBN: 1-58542-349-1
* Oswald Wirth (1981) Introduction to the Study of Tarot: A beginner's guide to the symbolism and use of Tarot cards by one of the greatest tarot designers and theorists. The Aquarian Press, GB.
ISBN: 0-85030-263-3 ... this is actually on ebay currently! and his other one (can't remember the name!)
*Papus, (1994) The Tarot of the Bohemians, Studio Editions Ltd. London,
ISBN: 1-85958-065-3
There are others of course, but these are a good start, and all that I have - so it was easy to access the details. Also, I picked up everyone of them on ebay at really good prices.
There is also a lot of stuff by Eliphas Levi, Mathers, Crowley and so on in pdf form on-line. I'll try and track down some web-sites so that you can download them.
mythos
Emeraldgirl
Thanks guys. I am really getting interested in the history of tarot as opposed to just the cards and the meanings.
Will check out these books. Some I have and some sound really interesting.
Will check out these books. Some I have and some sound really interesting.
Andy Kim
tarot history
I recommend two books for the general survey - Paul Huson's and Robert Place's.
Paul Huson, The Mystical Origin of Tarot
Rober Place, The Tarot : History, Symbolism, and Divination
But, if you go over, you must refer to Michael Dummett. He was a Oxford Philsophy Professor (very influential, maybe most influential in U.K.). He didn't like the occulist fog in the land of Tarot, so he used his thorough and meticulous scholarship to get rid of the legend and subsitute the hard-fact-based history for it. Art historian Ronald Decker was his co-author.
But, Huson and Place read Dummett's book and on his ground tries to find some way in order to save the tarot's mystical power. Too much historian view can choke the mystical power of imagination. So I recommend them.
If you are interested in the tarot symbolism in the wide background, read O'neill's Tarot Symbolism. Or read his articles in www.tarot.com. Brian Williams's two book on his tarot (Renaissance Tarot and the Minchiate Tarot) shows classical images of tarot.
I recommend two books for the general survey - Paul Huson's and Robert Place's.
Paul Huson, The Mystical Origin of Tarot
Rober Place, The Tarot : History, Symbolism, and Divination
But, if you go over, you must refer to Michael Dummett. He was a Oxford Philsophy Professor (very influential, maybe most influential in U.K.). He didn't like the occulist fog in the land of Tarot, so he used his thorough and meticulous scholarship to get rid of the legend and subsitute the hard-fact-based history for it. Art historian Ronald Decker was his co-author.
But, Huson and Place read Dummett's book and on his ground tries to find some way in order to save the tarot's mystical power. Too much historian view can choke the mystical power of imagination. So I recommend them.
If you are interested in the tarot symbolism in the wide background, read O'neill's Tarot Symbolism. Or read his articles in www.tarot.com. Brian Williams's two book on his tarot (Renaissance Tarot and the Minchiate Tarot) shows classical images of tarot.
jmd
With regards to Michael Dummett, it was my impression that he did not so much set out (not Andy Waters Kim's words, of course) to 'get rid of' any 'occultist fog', but was rather fascinated by various rules as they applied to the game of Tarot (hence the title, also, of this classic reference), and from there progressively furthered his research into Tarot generally.
Following his also wonderful study on the Visconti deck, he also teamed up with at first an Australian anthropologist, and then, due to regrettable cirecumstances surrounding this last, worked with not only Decker in the US, but Depaulis from the Paris region and involved in various ways in both various exhibitions and writings about Tarot in more than simple game form.
My impression is that Dummett has also mellowed a little given his early antagonistic views towards Tarot as 'nothing more' than game without symbolic intended meaning reflected within the Atouts.
sooo.... once you've finished reading all those recommendations, Emeraldgirl, I'll lend you my copy of Dummett's Game of Tarot, if you like
I would also really recommend what Andy Waters Kim suggests in Robert O'Neill's other papers on tarot.com, as well as that other library also found thereon, that of Christine Payne-Towell's (and, of course, her book, The Underground Stream).
Following his also wonderful study on the Visconti deck, he also teamed up with at first an Australian anthropologist, and then, due to regrettable cirecumstances surrounding this last, worked with not only Decker in the US, but Depaulis from the Paris region and involved in various ways in both various exhibitions and writings about Tarot in more than simple game form.
My impression is that Dummett has also mellowed a little given his early antagonistic views towards Tarot as 'nothing more' than game without symbolic intended meaning reflected within the Atouts.
sooo.... once you've finished reading all those recommendations, Emeraldgirl, I'll lend you my copy of Dummett's Game of Tarot, if you like
I would also really recommend what Andy Waters Kim suggests in Robert O'Neill's other papers on tarot.com, as well as that other library also found thereon, that of Christine Payne-Towell's (and, of course, her book, The Underground Stream).
ShekinahMoon
Emeraldgirl said:
Ditto this post. I have been thinking the past few days about learning this history of the Tarot (maybe getting one of those Renaissance looking Tarot decks in the process). And was wondering what was a good book. Glad to see a list on the board of books to look for. I'll be looking into buying books and decks in December. No money this month. Had some unexpected expense
mythos
The Game of Tarot was on ebay a while back ... I stopped watching when it reached US$99 .... with days to go. One day ..... mythos wanders off into the mist of reader's dreamland LOL
mythos
mythos
Kissa
i just got the book by Robert M. Place some days ago as i too am getting more and more interested in the history of tarot.
that book is fantastic! i've heard that the official companion book to the Medieval Scapini, called "Art and Arcana" by Ronald Decker is also very complete, not only dealing with the MS.
Robert Place is a kind of Jodorowsky to me...
kissa
that book is fantastic! i've heard that the official companion book to the Medieval Scapini, called "Art and Arcana" by Ronald Decker is also very complete, not only dealing with the MS.
Robert Place is a kind of Jodorowsky to me...
kissa
