Reading and Understanding the Marseille Tarot Hardcover – February 8, 2019

If you want a straightforward, succinct, nice little hardcover book about the Marseille Tarot with high quality images, here it is. For a long time in the Anglo-American world the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition has dominated the scene, but in recent years there has been a growing interest in older, more traditional Tarot cards as more commonly used in continental Europe. However, there have been few Marseille guidebooks available in English, so we've mostly had to look to materials available only in other languages. This English translation couldn’t come at a more timely moment.A year or so ago when I was searching for materials on the Marseille Tarot, I came across and read Morsucci and Aloi’s book when it was available only in Italian. I thought it made for a superb introductory book and vademecum, and I had wished it were in English so I could recommend it to people asking about information on the Marseille. Well, now it is.It’s short, with a couple of pages on each Major Arcanum and a page on each Minor Arcanum. That’s what you want in a handbook, an introductory book. Each entry gets right to the point and is organized for rapid reference. All the Major Arcanum cards have subtitles reflecting their fundamental poles, positive and negative. Thus, turn to The Lovers entry and the subtitle is “Choose or Renounce?” Beneath that is a paragraph-long commentary on the scene depicted, and beneath that is a guide to its interpretation. The subtitle for The Star is “Hope or Illusion?” and for The Fool it is “Brilliance or Buffoon?” The organization of the information in each entry really made recall much easier—another thing you want in a handbook. Italian is a secondary language to me and if I was having that easy of a time recalling what I read in Italian, that’s saying something.I went ahead and got the English translation so that I could loan it to friends. There are a few quirks in the translation, but there always are in every translation and they are of no consequence to meaning. Yes, the Suite called “Deniers” in French is translated here as "Pentacles," and the French Suite name “Baton” is rendered in this book as “Wands.” But, I mean, so what? It’s not like it will cause any confusion. If you get a Marseille deck you will see what the original Suite names are. Not a problem.In addition to the entries on each card is some brief but useful introductory material on the history of the Tarot and, at the end, several pages on how to go about a reading and some example traditional spreads, with various degrees of complexity.I might recommend three or four books really handy to have for people who are new to the Marseille and seek a basic introduction., and this is one of them.

I've been reading and studying tarot for 20 years with the last 6 being exclusively Tarot de Marseille. Unlike another reviewer, I wouldn't outright dismiss this book. The content is fine (though the translation in the first part was a little bumpy - whew). The interpretations of the individual cards is kind of in line with Jodorowsky/Costa, though does bring some other thoughts to them, which I like. Everyone can bring something to the table.This book is nice for a number of reasons. It's to the point, so there aren't any philosophical digressions. So it makes a good little reference for a quick check of something. It covers all the bases with what you need to get started. It isn't an advanced book, but if anyone knows everything about the tarot, it's time to set it aside and take up another hobby. I didn't need to read this book, but I have gotten some different perspectives out of it and am glad I bought it.Also, the authors are women, and after reading a couple of prominent male authors on tarot, this is a relief. These authors just don't have the same blind spots that get tiresome with some of the other authors (though I do still think we should read all the authors we can).The binding is sewn and the hardcover is sturdy but trim and easily portable. I really like the physical qualities of the printing, the use of color throughout, and the way the book feels in the hand. Btw, my book came damaged, so if you're a collector, be forewarned. It's disappointing. Mine was damaged before it went into the box.This book would make a good gift for a new person to tarot along with a Marseille deck — and the content is suitable for a teenager, maybe 17 and older. 16 if the kid is mature and confident. If you've been doing tarot for a long time, you may want deeper books. Try Meditations on the Tarot by Anonymous.There are so few books on the Tarot de Marseille available in English, so it's good to support them when they become available so that people will write/translate more. That alone is a good reason to buy it, tbh. I'd like more work by these authors if they'd publish more advanced books. That'd be nice.

Exactly what I needed to get started. I know there are books on Tdm that haven't been translated yet which could be super helpful but this is a great book for the collection. Wouldn't skip this and mine came in perfect condition too. Thank you! :)

If you've been reading TdM you won't learn anything new. If you want to learn TdM you might learn a few things, but I wouldn't even recommend it to newcomers. It resorts to RWS titles such as Pentacles instead of Deniers/Coins and the High Priestess instead of the Popess. Come on, that's pretty lame. Two stars because it's manageable in size with a nice, hard cover.

Sadly , the condition in what was packed and sent , being damage , it was very disappointing,well packed but sent in this condition .