Iconic Tarot Decks: The History, Symbolism and Design of over 50 Decks
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-10 09:51:15
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Sarah Bartlett
- ISBN：0711251711
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Discover the secrets of the most iconic， mysterious and beautiful tarot decks ever created。
The tarot is a treasury of divination， symbolism and self-knowledge。 But who created its mysterious art and meaning， and why？ What were they seeking？ Does it originate in ancient esoteric wisdom or is this a vain fancy of the occultists？ How has the interpretation and meaning of the cards evolved？
In Iconic Tarot Decks， Sarah Bartlett （the international bestselling author） presents 50 of the most iconic tarot decks – telling the powerful stories of how each was devised and designed and showcasing their most exemplary cards。 Each of the fifty-six decks in this book holds its own unique symbolism and mystical beginnings: from Visconti-Sforza， the fifteenth-century deck that reveals the fates of two Italian dynasties， to the Sola Busca Tarot， with its esoteric alchemical codex; from the pioneering Rider-Waite-Smith deck to the occult riddles of English Magic Tarot。
With an introduction to reading tarot and useful tips on deciphering the cards – this is the perfect book for collectors， cartomancers， designers， tattoo artists and anyone interested in the art and mystery of tarot。
The tarot is a treasury of divination， symbolism and self-knowledge。 But who created its mysterious art and meaning， and why？ What were they seeking？ Does it originate in ancient esoteric wisdom or is this a vain fancy of the occultists？ How has the interpretation and meaning of the cards evolved？
In Iconic Tarot Decks， Sarah Bartlett （the international bestselling author） presents 50 of the most iconic tarot decks – telling the powerful stories of how each was devised and designed and showcasing their most exemplary cards。 Each of the fifty-six decks in this book holds its own unique symbolism and mystical beginnings: from Visconti-Sforza， the fifteenth-century deck that reveals the fates of two Italian dynasties， to the Sola Busca Tarot， with its esoteric alchemical codex; from the pioneering Rider-Waite-Smith deck to the occult riddles of English Magic Tarot。
With an introduction to reading tarot and useful tips on deciphering the cards – this is the perfect book for collectors， cartomancers， designers， tattoo artists and anyone interested in the art and mystery of tarot。
Reviews
Beth
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This book was fascinating， both for the art of the decks and for the history。
Alexandra
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Really nice for the collectors of tarot。 Decks categorized into five different areas with a number in each （over 50 in total）。 Some history and information on tarot。 But good for those who do like tarot。
Vivienne
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My thanks to Quarto Publishing Group/White Lion - Francis Lincoln for a temporary digital copy via NetGalley of ’Iconic Tarot Decks’ by Sarah Bartlett。Its subtitle is ‘The History， Symbolism and Design of over 50 Decks’ and this is an accurate description of its contents。 It opens with an introduction to the Tarot that includes the symbolism of the cards and their classification between Major and Minor Arcana， the four elemental suits， and the court cards。 This is followed by a short guide to re My thanks to Quarto Publishing Group/White Lion - Francis Lincoln for a temporary digital copy via NetGalley of ’Iconic Tarot Decks’ by Sarah Bartlett。Its subtitle is ‘The History， Symbolism and Design of over 50 Decks’ and this is an accurate description of its contents。 It opens with an introduction to the Tarot that includes the symbolism of the cards and their classification between Major and Minor Arcana， the four elemental suits， and the court cards。 This is followed by a short guide to reading the cards and a brief history; before moving into the heart of the book: an examination of a number of decks， designated as iconic by the author。These are divided into five chapters: Influential Decks， Beginner’s Divination Decks， Art and Collector’s Decks， Esoteric and Occult Decks andContemporary Decks。 I was impressed by Sarah Bartlett’s knowledge of the Tarot。 I also appreciated that aside from examining the overall imagery of each deck， that she included information where available about the creator/artist and visual examples from the deck that gives a feel for the overall design。While many of the decks were familiar to me， there were a number that were new。 Obviously with hundreds of decks available choosing these 56， especially those in the more idiosyncratic art and contemporary categories， meant that others were left out。 Of course， this leaves open the possibility of a follow up volume。I reviewed a temporary digital edition and given my long interest in the Tarot and appreciation for art， I preordered the hardback edition due to be published in July。 I look forward to holding a physical copy and adding it to my collection of books on the Tarot。Overall， this is a beautifully detailed exploration of a variety of Tarot decks。 It would also make a thoughtful gift for anyone interested in the Tarot。 。。。more
Cathy Geha
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Iconic Tarot Decks by Sarah BartlettThe History， Symbolism and Design of Over 50 DecksBeautiful， informative， and filled with information ~ I found this book a delight to flip through and then spend time with。 For someone wanting a brief introduction to a variety of historical and more current tarot decks， this was a treasure trove of information and a visual feast。 What I liked: * The variety and number of decks shared* The information about the decks including the history， who created them and Iconic Tarot Decks by Sarah BartlettThe History， Symbolism and Design of Over 50 DecksBeautiful， informative， and filled with information ~ I found this book a delight to flip through and then spend time with。 For someone wanting a brief introduction to a variety of historical and more current tarot decks， this was a treasure trove of information and a visual feast。 What I liked: * The variety and number of decks shared* The information about the decks including the history， who created them and their purposes* That there was some information on how to use the decks for personal divinatory purposes* Pondering what the cards might mean to me were I to use them* The look into the history of tarot cards * The various reasons the cards were decorated as they were* Finding out who some of the artists of tarot cards were* Wanting to find a few of the decks to add to my personal collection…need to write those down* Being reminded of my thought of one day creating a personal deck of my own* That there was not too much information to bog down the bookWhat I didn’t like: * Can’t think of anything ;） Did I enjoy this book？ YesWould I buy it for myself or someone else？ I mightThank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing – White Lion for the ARC – This is my honest review。 5 Stars 。。。more
The Starry Library
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Iconic Tarot Decks takes the reader on a visual journey through 50 famous tarot decks， exploring their origins， inspirations， and mysteries。 The art and symbolism of each deck is succinctly described by the author， revealing rich esoteric ideas and theories。 I was pleasantly surprised to see that contemporary decks and those from the twenty-first century were included as they are often not given the attention or analysis they deserve。 Imagery is the most powerful tool to convey a message， whethe Iconic Tarot Decks takes the reader on a visual journey through 50 famous tarot decks， exploring their origins， inspirations， and mysteries。 The art and symbolism of each deck is succinctly described by the author， revealing rich esoteric ideas and theories。 I was pleasantly surprised to see that contemporary decks and those from the twenty-first century were included as they are often not given the attention or analysis they deserve。 Imagery is the most powerful tool to convey a message， whether secret or not， and learning about the occult treasures and hidden meanings of the decks affirms that Tarot is a mirror， and a looking glass。The symbols and meanings of the cards are derived from their imagery and this book is a reminder that textbook definitions of the cards do not work。 Readers should learn how to decode the artistry of the deck and intuit the deeper meanings of each card。 Just because a deck is modern， does not mean its value is less than those from centuries past。 Or just because you do not resonate with a particular art style， does not mean the deck is basic or unsophisticated。 Art is in the eye of the beholder， and this is the beauty of the Tarot。 What speaks to one person may not speak to another。 That's why this ancient divination system has survived as long as it has， because creative power is individual and is constantly interacting with the reader's spiritual journey。A great compendium for Tarot readers， artists， symbologists， and creatives。 。。。more
Tim
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A rather interesting little history of tarot decks， containing many illustrations and images throughout。 The book starts with a very basic "how to place the card" sort of introduction which upon first glance made me wonder if this was more of a "how to…" sort of book， but once the history kicks in， it's an interesting read。It's not extremely in-depth， it's more of a basic history with images。 I'm sure if one has put a great deal of research into the history/origins of the decks they will likely A rather interesting little history of tarot decks， containing many illustrations and images throughout。 The book starts with a very basic "how to place the card" sort of introduction which upon first glance made me wonder if this was more of a "how to…" sort of book， but once the history kicks in， it's an interesting read。It's not extremely in-depth， it's more of a basic history with images。 I'm sure if one has put a great deal of research into the history/origins of the decks they will likely be disappointed at a lack of new information， but for someone with more of a casual curiosity， there's some interesting facts。Where the book shines though is the imagery。 I wish it would have contained more information on the actual decks， or perhaps a full card images listing somewhere， but the images we are shown in some of the rarer decks are particularly curious。 While it would have been better had the book been more in-depth in terms of the actual history of the designs （or at least more images）， it's a nice little book and likely when it gets a physical release， it would be a beautiful book to look through。 Overall 3/5 stars。My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Ashley Dang
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A comprehensive look into tarot decks。 Filled with facts and instruction manuals as well as examinations of various other tarot decks。 Has so much amazing artwork and facts！ Seriously perfect for anyone interested in tarot！
Sue
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After a。 Initial blip where I was approved to read this book and it then promptly disappeared， I was able to download it onto the NetGalley app to read。 It is a fascinating book for anyone who had an interest in tarot and it’s history as well as a gorgeous book of tarot art。Well worth a read if you are either a novice or a more skilled practitioner of tarot。 It has inspired me to learn how to read these cards。
thewoollygeek （tea， cake， crochet & books）
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