Originally used by northern Italian aristocrats in complex games resembling bridge, tarot cards became more popular with the spread of printing in the sixteenth century and were eventually used by Freemasons, fortune-tellers, and mystics to reveal hidden truths about the past, present, and future. More recently, artists have used the imagery and potency of tarot as a springboard for creativity. As a path to revelation or simply as a pastime, tarot is fascinating. A carefully curated selection of decks from the past six centuries—showing the chief turning points in their development—make this little book an indispensable guide to the history of tarot.

Originally used by northern Italian aristocrats in complex games resembling bridge, tarot cards became more popular with the spread of printing in the sixteenth century and were eventually used by Freemasons, fortune-tellers, and mystics to reveal hidden truths about the past, present, and future. More recently, artists have used the imagery and potency of tarot as a springboard for creativity. As a path to revelation or simply as a pastime, tarot is fascinating. A carefully curated selection of decks from the past six centuries—showing the chief turning points in their development—make this little book an indispensable guide to the history of tarot.