Untold Tarot: The Lost Art of Reading Ancient Tarots

In recent years, interest in reading tarot using such decks as the Tarot de Marseille has been steadily growing. For anyone wishing to explore this way of reading, where spot cards lack the sort of illustrations one finds in the Waite-Smith deck, this book is a timely godsend. It is well-researched and beautifully illustrated with cards from a dozen or so continental tarots. Caitlín Matthews explains each trump individually from the divinatory angle, and ably demonstrates how predictive meanings are arrived at for spot cards bearing little in the way of ornamentation beyond the requisite number of suit signs – three goblets on the 3 of Cups, seven swords on the 7 of Swords, and so forth. I was introduced to tarot reading in the ’50s, before the ascendancy of the Waite-Smith deck, and much presented here is familiar to me. Many of these methods were in use back then. Even the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, founded in the late Victorian era, took the direction in which the card representing the inquirer faced as the direction in which the cards were to be read. Techniques such as these have largely fallen into disuse and I applaud their being brought back to tarot readers’ attention. A breadth of methodologies is laid out for the reader to try out. The author suggests working with them all and retaining those one clicks with. I, certainly, found some more suited to my temperament and approach to readings than others. No matter, for the author supplies a wealth of approaches. The techniques are well explained and nicely illustrated using spreads from Caitlín Matthews’ personal casebook. For anybody drawn to traditional reading methods prior to the publication of the Waite-Smith deck, ‘Untold Tarot’ will be an invaluable addition to their bookshelf.

I have just finished reading the "Untold Tarot". This book is excellent, well written, with a great research material. I am now a huge fan of Caitlin Matthews. I am very happy that I own this particular book. This is the right time for me to apply some of the "untold" tarot ways of reading. In one word, I love it. This book is a must-have for every serious tarot reader.

The book is beautifully laid out and good quality, although there are a few mistakes such as the misspelling of Pamela Colman Smiths name and several cards miss named such as Temperance on page 37 which is actually Strength. The author helps the cartomancer loosen the grip of the accrued 'meanings' of the cards and encourages the reader to actually look at what is presented on each card similar to the master tarot reader Enrique Enriquez, to consider sight lines, direction etc. and each cards relation to others it is with in the spread, how it speaks and relates to its fellow cards, not to dispense with the given meanings but to consider them in the round. After all tarot is a visual system otherwise we may just as well have words like 'The Magician' written on a blank card!

This book is a must have for anybody, who wants to read the Tarot de Marseille deck. Caitlin Matthews does an excellent job interpreting the pip cards. She approaches them from a numerological and suit interpretation style rather than an open reading style. That may sound rather mechanical, but not until you see the debt and range each suit can mean, masterly put in tables by Caitlin. The complicated court cards are also addressed with similar cut through analysis. This book is densely written, so you may need to read it twice to get the full scope of the information within it. I would definitely recommend this book for anybody, who is serious about TdMs, regardless of the reading style you may have. If 78 degrees of wisdom and Holistic Tarot are the bibles of the Rider Waite deck, this book is one of the bibles for the TdM deck.

I guess not. Each book I buy is great in its own merit and this is no exception. Great book. Superb colour illustrations and extremely good quality. The read? Very easy to read and straight to the point. Is it the only book you’ll ever need about Tarot. Don’t be silly lol!

The research that has gone into this book is fantastic and I compliment the author Caitlin Matthews on the excellent work she has done in producing this book. There's information in it I haven't read n any other tarot book - and I have many. For any tarot enthusiast, this book is well worth buying.

Brilliant in depth knowledge

Probably the best book on traditional Tarot you could wish for !

Fantastic book. A must have for vintage tarot enthusiasts. The book is broken into easy to read sections with tips on how to read specific types of cards, making it very easy to digest even though it's a very large subject matter. Caitlin Matthews has done it again!

EDIT: I wanted to revisit this title after a lot more experience with it. My respect for the book and it’s author has only grown since I first reviewed it, but there are a couple of things I am going to add. Foremost is: this book is an instant classic worthy of a wide readership. And, if it isn’t clear, this is written primarily out of the French, not the English, school. So, get yourself a “Marseille” Tarot deck. Not that it wouldn’t work with an English deck (not saying it would, either... I’m not sure the il’ RWS clone speaks French!) I noticed Untold Tarot (2018) was published after her Lenormand book, The Complete Lenormand Oracle Handbook (2014). I suspect the book under review benefitted from her research into that system. In any case, having recently begun studying the Lenormand oracle with the other book, much in Untold Tarot is clearer. In fact, her Lenormand book is an excellent companion volume to this one. Caitlin Matthews is reaching back to the most ancient cartomatic traditions—why, as far back as the 18th century! (Sorry if that offends anyone’s romantic ideas about ancient Egyptian wisdom, Cathars or whatever, although the historic origins aren’t really that important.) I think Lenormand is a very good system in its own right. But whether you take it up or stick with Tarot, I think the other book is also worth studying for Tarot de Marseille readings in the French tradition. The second reason I’m here again is to address some frustrations. Past frustrations, I should say, because I get it now. The type of “open reading” (see Yoav Ben-Dov’s excellent book of that name) that stirs everything into the mix and comes out proper tasty relies on intuition. It is ephemeral. It’s not “this card in this position means such-and-such.” Her examples (like the Lenormand exercises in her other book) are often wildly at odds with what I see. But a card or combinations of cards can mean different things on different days in different readings. I hazard to say she wouldn’t disagree with me here. This is a big reason she insists on a properly framed question. (Although casual personal conversations with Tarot are valuable, too, in my view.) The reader should study these as examples of the process. I’m certain I should have realized this earlier. I do have one minor complaint. The author drops tantalizing hints about some tradition that really is “untold,” meaning she does not tell it in this book! For example, on p. 187, we are told that the Ace of Swords and 2 of Swords is “a classic combination about mental health.” While I realize card combinations may depend on many factors, if some are truly “classic,” they should be shared. Where does this “classic” combination come from? How is a reader supposed to follow a hint like that? Or is the use of the word “classic” just a bit inartful? Certainly not a major complaint, but it would be interesting to know more, since she brought it up! This is not “Tarot for Dummies.” This is a rich book by a respected writer, a book backed by careful research and much experience. It is meant to be studied and experimented with. Yes, it might be a bit overwhelming for someone new to Tarot. But the beauty of it is, you don’t have to use every spread, or take every word as gospel. It’s a beginning, not an end. In a strange way, the Untold Tarot remains untold because it cannot be told. Caitlin Matthews is renewing and handing down a tradition of card reading within those limits. I hope she would take it as fair comment that we should pay attention to her experience and wisdom, but the Tarot will forever be “untold” until it unfolds its secrets in its own time and manner to each sincere seeker. Caitlin Matthews is one of the best teachers living. ————— With the well-deserved rediscovery of the Tarot de Marseille we’ve seen more books featuring the deck. This is one of the more interesting. First off, it’s a handsomely produced, slick book fully illustrated with various TdM decks. (Perhaps the lion’s share goes to the excellent CDM tarot, whose clean lines make it a good choice.) I hope someone looking for something else finds his or her way here because if you have, my friend, consider it a special invitation to get a TdM deck and this quite sensible and well-written book. There is quite a bit of good history in here, which surprised me since I was not led to expect as much by the advertising. As for the divergence into the English tarot current... Let’s say the RWS deck is respectfully put into perspective and some of the more creative clones are viewed with a slightly jaundiced eye. From the latest crop of TdM books we expect a good historical, well-sourced treatment, and that’s what the author gives. The trend toward which TdM interpretation is presented is in a looser style which takes into account all sorts of things beyond by-rote meanings and spread positions, and this book is no exception. Line-of-sight interpretation gets a very good treatment. Cards are rarely considered by themselves. There are card-by-card interpretations, hovever, as well as set spreads. On the other hand there are examples of some very open readings. The TdM is very flexible and the book gives full credit to that quality. The TdM defies rules. Anyone who works with it for any length of time will find their own methods. This is the best book for beginners on the TdM I’ve seen.

Excelente si quieres saber de historia y más sobre la interpretación clásica en lugar de saturarte de significados rígidos.

Very nice

This is the best book for reading TdM/pip decks that I've come across. There's a disturbing tendency in Tarot literature - old as well as new - to talk and talk but not give any actual useful information. You don't see that here. This is good, solid cartomancy with a lot on techniques and meanings, along with relevant historical factoids. It's an interesting read, as well as something I will be referring to often - and it's made for this, nicely bound with the pages stitched in! This is not hermetic Tarot, nor is it Jungian or new age. It's old-fashioned European cartomancy, which has become so obscured in this day and age that someone commenting on facebook called it "Lenormand techniques"! Yes, the Lenormand method shares some similar approaches (like directional reading, combining cards, knighting, etc.), as do playing card methods, Kipperkarten, French and Italian Sibilla, etc. - it's just what everybody used to DO in those days. Tarot readers included. It's straightforward, well organized, and includes jewels like, "The Fool shows you what you are not taking seriously, which will be the card he faces" and "Knights bridge or convey something from one card by taking it to the card they face." Reading by number and suit is thoroughly explained, historical documents are referenced, there's plenty of detail but not so much as to make it dull. I've been into cards forever, and I learned things from this book. But it would be good for beginners, as well. It's for anyone with a desire to unlock those lovely old pip Tarots! A much needed breath of fresh air - thank you, Caitlin!