The Tarot is one of the few books that cuts through conventionalmisperceptions to explore the Tarot deck as it really developed in theMiddle Ages and Renaissance Europe-not, as some would suggest, in thefar reaches of Egyp-tian antiquity. Mining the Hermetic, alchemical, andNeoplatonic influences behind the evolution of the deck, author RobertM. Place provides a historically grounded and compelling portrait of theTarot's true origins, without overlooking the deck's mysticaldimensions.Indeed, Place uncommonly weds reliable historiographywith a practical understanding of the intuitive help and divinatoryguidance that the cards can bring. He presents techniques that offer newand valuable ways to read and interpret the cards. Based on a simplethree-card spread, Place's approach can be used by either the seasonedpractitioner or the new inquirer.