A History of Tarot

This talk was given at Leeds Skeptics under the title "Confessions of a Tarot Reader".

Dr Joely Black brings us a fascinating history of the game of tarot, how it spread through Europe from the east and how it was transformed into an oracle. She'll also discuss the art behind the tarot, how the narrative of the Trumps evolved, and the fake history developed in the 19th century to make the tarot sexier and less mundane. As well as this, she'll cover how ordering of the cards have changed over time, how many popular franchises have used the tarot in marketing, and the reasons for the differences between tarot in Latin and Anglophone countries.