The Esoteric Tarot: Ancient Sources Rediscovered in Hermeticism and Cabalah Paperback – Illustrated, July 9, 2013

This is a good book, to me it is more academic and would be linked to a history book genre, more than a tarot book, crammed with details and facts.The tarot details are here plenty of them, overwhelming almost, but it comes off more as a history essay not unlike writing about any other topic where the ages have gone by, so part history book, part encyclopedia, kind of dry, but a spectacular level of depth in details on the history of symbolism.You will learn a great wealth of research and clarifications on where things have gone astray , in the details I lost the authors appreciation of the unique character of the tarot, and realized he would have done as good a job if the book was about the Civil War, History of Shipbuilding, or Influence of Steam Engines on Steel Production in England, facts just the facts,

I have no expertise in the subject matter. I can, however, evaluate a text for both critical thinking and BS. This book is well-researched and credible. When he states an opinion, he makes that clear, and provides the thought process by which he arrived at it. Equally important, the areas he treats are the ones of particular interest to those approaching the Tarot for the insights it can offer in leading a spiritually significant and moral/ethical life. This is not a book to tell you how to navigate your love life, but is quite a good one for exploring the Tarot's relevance to one's spiritual/religious and philosophical interests.

A lot of books on the Tarot have all sorts of conjecture based on flimsy evidence, this one actually talks more about what the tarot is and where it comes from creating something from the reality of where the mystery comes from. If you want to separate fact from fiction, and if you are really seriously interested in the tarot it's a good idea, this is a great book. If you want to cling to bulls*** fantasy - enter at your own risk.

Decker Humbly but scholarly sharply take the middle road in order to reconcile tarotists and scholar approaches. He present a good and plausible theory of tarot origin and, though he doesn't endorse Egyptian origin as most of scholars, he find a nice point of data reconciliation. Finally he makes a wonderful analysis of minor arcana against Gikatilla's Gates of light book.

This is a fun read. You can tell that the author knows his tarot history but the book seems like this is more of a fun proposed theory rather than hard fact.You can tell this by the straining it takes to make certain theories fit: the numerology, relating tarot cards to certain virtues(like the high priestess to prudence, and judgement to Sagacity), hermes and thoth symbolism etc.Like all books about Tarot. Take everything with a grain of salt, and have fun.

Everything from this author is pure gold! Always well researched and informative, i have loved every word!

After many years of studying and teaching Kabbalah and tarot (since 1986), this is the first text that I have come across that gives a clear survey of the most probable "history" of the tarot cards, along with their developmental connections to numerology, astrology and hebrew hermeneutics. It is an excellent resource, both theoretically and pragmatically.

This book is not for tarot beginners like me. I am interested in learning more of the history so I will begin studying it soon. But it isn't a book that draws me in. More like a textbook.