The Golden Tarot: The Visconti-Sforza Deck

by Mary Packard

Companion book to a new edition of the Visconti-Sforza Tarot deck. Includes historical background on the family who commissioned the deck, more general information on the development of Tarot as a divination system, and interpretative meanings for all of the cards in the deck.

Genres: Tarot, Nonfiction, Occult, Mythology

144 pages, Hardcover

First published March 21, 2013

Reviews

[Charlotte Ehney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good explanation of the history of the Tarot Cards and the meaning of the cards in the Visconti-Sforza Deck.

[Glenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a big tarot deck which is highly detailed cards. The saying on the cards are inspirational. It come in a sturdy box for easy storage. It really compliments my other tarot decks. The booklet that comes with explains each card in detail for a full understanding. I would highly recommend this deck of tarot cards.

The Tarot is much more than mere pictures on cards, the pictures are physical symbols for spiritual concepts. The images are symbolic representation of archetypal forces and/or beings which have always existed and have been identified and passed on to us by ancient initiates and which provide a focus for us to use in self-initiation, spiritual development, and the perception of hidden wisdom.

What a stunner - depth, beauty, historical feel, and the symbolic breadth a tarot reader needs. It also makes a fine gift to any tarot enthusiast you know. This deck is an absolute delight of ingenious and bold art combined with a reliable symbolic approach for the serious reader.

I was given this tarot deck from Quarto Knows for an honest review.

[Kourtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received The Golden Tarot: The Visconti-Sforza Deck from the First Reads Giveaway and I love it. In it, there are a deck of cards, a purple silk sheet to lay the cards out on, and a small book explaining the significance of the cards. I've always wanted Tarot cards so I was very excited about this book set. The book was very interesting, Packard went through the history of the Visconti-Sforza family and i learned a lot. The book also explains how to read the Tarot cards. Thank you to Goodreads and Mary Packard for this wonderful book set!!!!

[⛓️kyle northington · Rating 5 out of 5]

as a generally skeptical agnostic of all things metaphysical, i got a wild itch to learn about tarot. i often let philosophical concepts lead me through life’s tough times, and was intrigued to discover that you can enjoy the flair of tarot without belief in anything paranormal. this book kept the history short and digestible - both of tarot as a whole and of the deck included with the guide - and maintained at the forefront that for(lack of better phrasing) tarot is just a more complicated, in-depth dice roll to prompt self reflection and help guide your intuitions through life’s never ending questions and obstacles. for someone like me who loves to confuse others with what they truly “believe in”, and not afraid of challenging their own biases and epistemological prejudices, i would recommend this book as a baby diving board if tarot is something that tickles the mind.

[Veronika Fabian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting, revealing and clear. Beautiful cards with amazing historical background.

[Noah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five stars for the beautiful deck and presentation. Three stars for the booklet with misinformation about Hermeticism, alchemy, etc., along with an out-of-context Kant quote. Four stars on balance.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Visconti-Sforza deck is immensely significant from a historical standpoint, being one of the oldest surviving tarot decks, and the most nearly complete. It's also a beautiful work of Renaissance art.

Mary Packard does a good job of hitting the important points about early tarot in her book. The fact that it was created as a game, but the symbolism is much older, with brief glosses on Hermetic mysticism, alchemy and neo-platonism. A lot of this info is oversimplified, probably for the benefit of the reader, and there aren't many cited resources to aid the reader.

The deck and book set comes in a large display box. Inside the box is the tarot deck in it's own box, a lovely miniature hardcover book and a purple layout cloth in a cardboard sleeve. This is an extremely high quality set that is perfect for beginners trying to find out a bit more about something that interests them and for collectors of decks alike.

Five stars for the deck. Four and a half for the book.