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Book Launch! A Critical Introduction to Tarot

'A Critical Introduction to Tarot' stack of books

A Critical Introduction to Tarot: Examining the Nature of a Belief in Tarot is finally available to buy in print or ebook. For buying options, please visit the publisher webpage.

I want to thank everyone who contributed to the book. Though my name features as the author, it would not have been possible without the generous support of friends, family, and colleagues.

A Critical Introduction to Tarot, on the Collective Ink website

To those interviewed in the book, thank you for lending your time and expertise: Benebell Wen, T. Susan Chang, Max Haiven, and Stella Lawless.

To my friends and family, without whom I would be lost: Gerald Glynn, Maria ‘Jo’ Lluque Lopez, Nuala Kenny, Adam Stoneman, Rod Stoneman, and Michael Sherry.

To the staff at Collective Ink (formerly John Hunt Publishing), of which Iff Books is an imprint, who have patiently seen this book through to publishing, especially Bernardo Kastrup, Dominic C. James, and Gavin L. Davies.

I also thank Danny DeCillis and Vedika Dayal for comments on the early manuscript draft.

You can now buy A Critical Introduction to Tarot, see the publishers website for buying options.

If you do buy a copy, please leave a review! I would love to know your honest opinion of the book.

Interviews

My first interview for A Critical Introduction to Tarot is now available. I had the pleasure to speak on the Jeff Mara Podcast and discuss the history of tarot, especially its Christian roots, and the philosophical basis for tarot belief. Thank you Jeff!

There has been an extremely positive reaction to my book and I’m very grateful for that. I will be speaking on several more podcasts in the coming months to discuss A Critical Introduction to Tarot and the many interesting links the tarot has to our culture.

The best place to find out more about these podcasts as they are published is by my X (Twitter) account.

‘Tarot Card Games’ article in Tabletop Gaming Magazine

'Tarot Card Games' in Tabletop Gaming Magazine, photo

An article I wrote for Tabletop Gaming Magazine was published in issue 80 on 23rd June and is available now in print and digital editions. You can have a peek at it on PocketMags but it is paywalled beyond the first two paragraphs.

The article is a discussion of Tarot card games, asking: why aren’t there more games using this deck? What are the particular strengths of the deck (with its trumps / major arcana) and what challenges does it present to the game designer? One of the games I write about is Battle of Tarot, an intriguing game by game designer and artist Denman Rooke.

I interviewed Denman and played a few games with him when I was researching this article. I found the topic so interesting that I decided to go further and write a longer essay looking at the many influences within his game and the use of Tarot in general as a gaming deck. I’m working with the editor of The International Playing-Card Society (of which I am a member) on a paper for the journal The Playing-Card. I hope it will be in an edition later in the year.

Cover designed and release date set

Cover finished and release date set

Iff Books have set the release date for my book A Critical Introduction to Tarot as Friday, 8th December 2023.

It has been wonderful working with the staff at Iff Books / John Hunt Publishing and I extend my thanks to them for their hard work preparing the manuscript for printing and furnishing a very attractive design.

If you would like to find out more about the book, please read my detailed overview on Medium and get in touch via Twitter.

Publishing contract signed with Iff Books!

Iff Books

I am delighted to announce that I have signed a publishing contract with Iff Books for A Critical Introduction to Tarot!

Iff Books was my first choice of publisher (and I’m not just saying that), so I feel exceptionally fortunate. I have read many books from this imprint of John Hunt Publishing, especially Bernardo Kastrup’s books, and thought it was a great fit when researching publishers. I have also been reading Zero Books for quite a while, another imprint of the same house with a more political focus. I’m honoured that I will join their list of published authors.

I want to thank Bernardo Kastrup and Dominic C. James for taking a chance on a first-time author like me with this vote of confidence. I look forward to working with the publishing team in the coming months and seeing the dream of publishing this book become a reality!